The Debt Repaid
by Lyssa Terald
Summary: The myths aren't always correct and they aren't always accurate in the events that they portray, but in this case they got a few things right. A story in which not everything is quite what it seemed and Loki always repays his debts, no matter the price or pain. Loki/Sigyn, Tony/Pepper, movie canon compliant
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: In no way do I own the Avengers movie or the Marvel universe.

* * *

If there was one thing that Loki always had, it was a convoluted and complicated plan. To pay the debt that he owed, he had crafted and plotted and schemed in the ways that would give him the freedom to search, to find, to pay. The attempted genocide, the fall, the invasion, the punishment, everything had been for one purpose. The Chitauri had been an accident, a miscalculation that had worked almost in his favor but for their own goals.

Redemption wasn't the goal. He had never cared much for Asgard. Only Thor and Odin and Frigga had kept him there. The revelation of his true heritage had whittled that number to Thor and Frigga and even they had not been enough to hold him in place, keep him from his search.

A betrayal? Yes, but no worse than the ones he had been dealt already. What did the deaths of his sons mean to the revelation of his blood? Certainly their deaths had hurt a great deal more than coming to find out he had been born a Jotun. That he was a monster not only in name but also in heritage and blood was no surprise. It was just a confirmation of expectations long felt. No, revenge had also not been the purpose for which he had committed such sins.

The Tesseract had been the goal, but only for the momentary power, the vision and truth it had given him. It was all he had needed, all he had wanted from it.

For the atrocities he had committed, he had been once again sentenced to be bound to a slab of stone and have snake venom dripped into his eyes. It had been torture, agony, unbearable without her, without the presence of another to even _try_ and catch the venom, but the vision was worth the agony, the unending pain. His flesh was melted from his face, eyes eaten away, bones blackened and cracked. Only his magic, the magic that all of Asgard despised him, her, _them_ for allowed him to survive, allowed him to be healed one layer of flesh and bone at a time.

When it was done, with the chains removed, he accepted the grief of his mother, the weariness of his brother, and the exile that Odin bestowed upon him. He left in darkness, slipping through the shadows of the realms to seek, to search, to follow the vision. The twisted paths _between_ led him to the heart of the universe, into the very Void that had swallowed him so very long ago.

A debt to be repaid, a single person, individual, woman, to be found. Once wife, once lover, and once confidant, she had never wavered, never forgotten, never left. No, not even the deaths of their sons Narvi and Vali had been enough to drive her away, but their deaths had been enough to break her faith in him, and the love she had given him was soured in some ways. Even after Odin had turned them on each other, even with love and faith broken, she had remained until the _Allfather_ had cast her into the abyss to remain until she reconsidered her path, her choice, her _loyalty._ Darkness within the space of time and reality was where she had been placed. It was the crossroads of all possibilities, the heart of the abyss where she had cocooned herself in sleep to save sanity.

_Sigyn_.

She drifted, unaware, and unconscious of him. There was no weight, no gravity, only the force of his own will, her will, that kept them from disintegrating into the abyss around them. So like the first time, but now he knew where the paths lay, where the darkness met. There would be no Chitauri to find him, pull him from the depth of his fall, no torture to make him bend, no Thanos to plan around. This time, it was only the warmth of her in his arms, the memories of better times wrapped around them, the payment of the debt he owed her.

He took the path to Midgard, to Earth, to Thor's treasured planet. It was the only realm truly left oblivious to them, ignorant enough not to hunt her for her ties to him.

Strings and lights and sounds and shapes materialized around them. Her body became a subtle weight in his arms, her dark hair a light brush against his skin. Looking around, he was almost unsurprised to find that the point of arrival was the very city his invasion had failed to take. What had it been called? Ah, yes, New York. Some of the buildings were still damaged, some of the stone beneath his feet still shattered, but there were signs and sounds of recovery, of resiliency. Humans hurried around him, almost not seeing him, certainly not remembering. They walked into some buildings, out of others, talked to devices they held to their heads, shuffled around the tools and operations of repair. Noise and life flared around him, but the only thing he truly noted was the tower rising above all other buildings with the single A to adorn its face. The place of his defeat, home of the one called Tony Stark, one of five to call himself a Shield Brother to Thor.

Thor, who claimed Midgard was under his protection. Brother and once companion, the only one he might still be able to trust with Sigyn. Thor, who was likely still in Asgard, the place where he would never return if he had his say. For the moment, one Tony Stark would have to do.

* * *

Tony was going over the blueprints again with the architect he had contracted to repair the marble where Hulk had smashed Loki into the ground. As much as he cherished the memory, nine months of skirting around the damage was more than enough time to appreciate the space where the invasion had been stopped. Truth be told, it was also an eyesore and a little annoying, especially when the window had been so very easy to fix.

The architect was trying to convince him to change his plans, that the entire floor needed to be ripped out and redone rather than just smoothed over. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, contemplated firing the man and instead ordered him off the premises. The man scowled, but rolled up the papers and left with them tucked under his arm.

Alone in the silence of his home, Tony could only sigh and turn to the bar. Maybe Pepper would say it was too early in the day to drink, but she wasn't there to admonish him and the prick _had_ been a little difficult to deal with. Times like these, he was almost sorry he and the other Avengers had scared the terrorists and other evil doer organizations underground for the time being. Bored wasn't something that came to him easily, but there were only so many times he could upgrade the suit and so many parties he could attend without finding some sort of pattern, some sort of _normalcy_ to them all. Of course, he might reflect later, _normal_ wasn't such a bad thing.

His first warning came when Jarvis said, "Sir, you may wish to vacate that area. I am detecting high atmospheric disturbances."

The air had actually begun to _shimmer_ when he jumped away from the bar and tripped over the carpet between the rooms. The force of his land drove the air from his lungs. As he gasped air back into his lungs, Loki-dressed in full battle armor right down to his horned helmet-shivered into existence before him with a woman in his arms. He scrambled back and called, "Jarvis, sound the alarm!"

His eyes shot to the bar where he had set the bracelets for the Mark VII just before the meeting, regretting that he had parted with them for even a moment. It didn't matter that there had been no threat for almost a year, no hint of danger since the invasion. He was calculating the odds of his being able to reach them and actually deploying the suit when Loki moved in front of the bar, blocked his path and said, "Not today, Stark. I'm not here for more battle."

"Sir, SHIELD agents will be here in approximately six minutes," Jarvis informed them.

Loki lifted his eyes to the ceiling and narrowed his gaze at it for a long moment, then apparently disregarded the AI as a threat and turned to the bar to gently set his burden upon its surface, though he still cradled her head in the crook of his arm. "I am not here to fight, Man of Iron, not unless you make the first attack."

"Funny, last I remember you were the one that brought an army to our planet. That spoke all kinds of hostile intentions," Tony shot back. Slowly, he rose to his feet and edged around Loki and the woman he had brought. For the moment, he wasn't sure whether or not to classify the woman as a threat, but she appeared unconscious so that made her only half not a threat. "If you're here for another attempt at taking the Earth, you might want to consider another career path. Part time villain really isn't working out for you with the record you've established."

Loki grinned, more teeth and snarl than an actual smile. "If I wished your _precious_ planet to be mine you would already be kneeling, Tony Stark. As it is, you and your team served your purpose beautifully."

Tony stood rooted to the spot for a moment, then strolled forward towards the pair and leaned against the bar, reaching for a bottle. "Really, and what purpose was that? Did you mean for us to kick your ass? Because the Hulk did that wonderfully well. Or did you intend for Thor to take you back in _chains_ to face daddy for crimes committed?" He raised the bottle and made to also grab a glass, which was conveniently positioned beside the metal circlets that would summon his suit.

The fallen prince crooked a finger at one of the bracelets and caught it when it was pulled towards him. He slid it onto the woman's wrist and looked at Tony, a half smile touching his lips. "I remember that little trick of yours, Man of Iron. Clever, very clever. Thor was right to choose at least you."

The silence stretched into an eternity between them as they held each other's gaze. Tony lifted the glass from the counter, leaving the other bracelet where it lay. "I still owe you that drink. What's your poison?"

"Certainly nothing that you have here," Loki said.

Tony seated himself on one of the barstools. "Suit yourself, but I'm going to have a drink," he said, pouring the alcohol into the glass and raising it in a mock salute. Once he had drained the glass, he asked, "So, if your plan wasn't world domination, what was it?"

"To obtain the Tesseract. It has the power to reveal your dearest desire and the truth that surrounds it," Loki said, tilting his head a little to study the other man. "Falling into the hands of the Chitauri was never part of my plan, but you and your team countered them perfectly. I-" he stopped, weighed his words, and looked at the woman cradled in his arms. "Sigyn has never been anything but loyal to me and when Odin cast her into the abyss I vowed to get her back, no matter if I had to shatter the universe in the process. Everything I did was to retrieve her from the endless nothing. "

Pepper flashed across his mind, but he pushed her away and turned back to the situation at hand. Motioning towards the woman, Tony said, "I'm going to assume that that is Sigyn. So you have her and now that makes her as much of a threat as you. Why come here?"

If he wasn't going to survive the encounter, then at least there would be video of this conversation. At least Pepper would be smart enough to access the feed and give SHIELD the data he managed to extract before he got himself killed.

"Thor calls Midgard his and he has chosen a band of warriors that he calls comrade. That means he trusts you and his judgment of character has always been…interesting, but not wrong in the judging of good and evil," Loki said, easing Sigyn's head and shoulders onto the tiles of the bar. He stepped away. "That you have tried to engage me in a game of wits twice tells me something of your character. You're more than just brawn."

"Four minutes, sir," JARVIS said.

Loki chuckled. "Plenty of time, then. What I want is simple. You will take Sigyn and care for her as one of your own. Do so and I will never harm your planet again."

It took Tony a moment to process that and absorb the implications. "You want us to provide asylum for a possibly deranged lunatic who could very well aid you in whatever scheme that you think up next? In exchange for a promise of _words_ that you won't attack the Earth again? _Knowing_ that our myths mark you as the God of Fire, Mischief, and Lies?"

"Essentially, yes," Loki answered, eyes glinting with amusement. "I've nothing to offer beyond words and you have no reason to trust me. Let Sigyn's actions speak for her and know that if she is imprisoned or tortured, I will hunt down all who harmed her or had a hand in her captivity and repay them that pain tenfold."

At that moment, the glass behind them shattered as bodies crashed through. In the shower of glittering glass and reflected rainbows, Loki smiled at him and faded into the shadows.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I appreciate constructive criticism. If you feel something was a little off, feel free to inform me and tell me how you might have written it better.

* * *

Tony sat back and poured himself another drink while the agents unhooked themselves from their harnesses and slithered forward with weapons in hand. He almost wanted to poke the woman Loki had left on his counter, but resisted the urge. There was no sense in waking a sleeping dragon, if that was what she was.

Almost predictably, the elevator dinged and presented one Nick Fury to him. Making a mental note to check for breaches in his security later, he pointed a finger at SHIELD's director and said, "You owe me new windows."

"If you can afford to slap your name on a building, Stark, you can get yourself new windows," Fury replied, his one good eye fixed on the woman. "Was this Loki's parting gift? Do we need to run a series of tests on you to make sure you're not compromised?"

Tony almost scowled at the way Fury was distancing himself from the woman, like he was already making plans on how to dispose of her or make the most use of her. He rose and set the glass down, moving to lean against the bar and conveniently place himself between Fury and the woman. The agents that had been advancing on her paused and glanced at their commander for direction.

"You know, I think I'm good. All he did was drop her off and threaten to kill or maim us should we do any harm to _Sigyn_," Tony said and Fury frowned at that.

"And you think you're equipped to handle her should she wake up and start destroying everything?" Fury asked.

"Sir, vital readings indicate that your guest will awaken soon," JARVIS informed them. "If you plan on tranquilizing her as it seems Director Fury intends to, now would be the ideal moment."

"Run a full diagnostic scan and compare readings to those collected on one Loki Liesmith," Tony instructed his AI. There was no reason to stand between Fury and his team intent on collecting her. He owed her nothing, owed Loki even less, but the memory of some of the files he had hacked pressed on him, reminded him of the months he had spent in Afghanistan. Torture was one thing that SHIELD wasn't shy on and one thing he didn't agree with them on. Not the only thing, but the beginning of a very long list, one could say. Amoral shadow organization was the least of such a list that made him look sideways at them.

"Already done, sir. The energy output given off by the two individuals is different from that given off by humans," JARVIS answered.

Tony smiled and drew breath to say something else, but Fury's eye had slid to something just over his shoulder. A _crash_ shortly followed after that and when he turned, he was met with the sight of empty space where Sigyn had lain. Peering around the edge of the bar, he saw the dark haired woman sitting cross-legged on his floor, rubbing at the back of her head, and blinking rapidly.

There was a long moment of silence before JARVIS commented, "I do believe your guest has awoken, sir."

"Thank you, JARVIS. I can see that," Tony replied, sarcasm touching his voice.

At the sound of them talking, she glanced up and froze. Then, she surged to her feet only to lose her balance and stumble against the bar opposite Tony. She gripped the edges of the counter and closed her eyes tightly. After a moment, she opened them again and stared at Tony. "Is this…" she began, voice rasping. She cleared her throat and tried again. "Is this dream or trick? If you are either, then be gone. I've no desire to play host to Odin's games again."

"I'm afraid, sweetheart, that this is very much real," Tony said. "You're on Earth…er…Midgard as your people...reace...lot might know it." She stared at him still and he asked, "You're not going to go on a murderous rampage and start killing everything in sight, right? Because if so, I'm going to have to ask you to start outside."

A slow smile curved her lips as she looked around from him to the others at his back. "You are very strange, for a dream." There was a pause as she seemed to gather her thoughts. "It has been a long time since I last set foot on Midgard."

"That still doesn't answer the question, though," Tony pointed out. "Do you intend to start killing everything in sight on a whim? Ritual dismemberment is highly frowned upon on Earth."

Sigyn chuckled, or at least he assumed the rasping sound she made was an attempt at chuckling."No, human, I've no intentions of committing mass murder for the sake of amusement. I leave that to Thor and the Warriors Three." She paused and her eyes returned to the genius. "If this is no dream, then how did I come to be here? I've no memory of casting a spell and any magic Odin worked on me was meant to leave me stranded in the Abyss."

The final part sounded more like she was thinking to herself rather than talking to him, so he filed that away for later examination and said, "That would be because you caught the Loki express to my humble abode." Her gaze sharpened on him and he continued, "He seemed to think it would be a great idea to drop you in the middle of the home of a known enemy."

Her gaze flicked to the agents at his back and he didn't have to turn to know that her tight expression was due to the proximity of so many weapons. She might actually be defenseless against them all, he realized. "Loki doesn't always make the wisest decisions, but he has never led me too far astray." Her voice was still raspy, though the longer she talked the more of a husky tone it took on. "Might I inquire as to what you humans intend to do with me, if Loki is indeed an enemy of yours."

Tony turned his head a fraction to look at Director Fury, who had moved into his peripheral vision and she followed his gaze. "The last time your little..._friend_...was seen, he was being taken away in chains to face punishment for attempting a hostile take over," Fury said, striding forward until he was three feet from her. "What we _intend_ to do is prevent another hostile take over. Do you have any objections to that?"

She huffed out another breath of amusement and tilted her head as she studied him. "Do what you must, but I intend you no harm. Whatever Loki has done, I apologize for his actions. If you wish retribution against him, then focus your ire on me and leave him be."

Memory and cold fear trickled into Tony as he moved without thinking. "Whoa, whoa, _whoa_," he said, sliding around the bar to place himself just a step behind her. "This is my tower, my rules, and I say no torturing my guests. She's been awake, what, five minutes-"

"Six minutes and thirty-three seconds, to be precise, sir," JARVIS cut in. The AI paused and then added, "Forty seconds now."

"Yes, thank you, JARVIS," Tony said while Sigyn looked up at the ceiling. "What he said. She's been awake for longer than five minutes and she's made no hostile move-" _could be defenseless now and attack when stronger, doesn't matter, deal with later,_ ran through his head alongside _torture, pain to self, not acceptable to inflict on others. _"I think it might be a little extreme to assume she's a hostile and take her away to be tortured. Hell, I think it's a little extreme to try and take the blame for an invasion perpetuated by another individual all together." This, he directed at Sigyn herself and she only glanced at him as amusement flickered through her eyes.

Fury's glare could have melted acid. "We aren't just going to let her roam the streets at random and vanish from our sights. Whatever intelligence she has on Loki has to be collected for future attacks. Agent Dregar, tranquillize the subject."

"JARVIS, deploy the suit if they make another move towards us," Tony said, snagging the bracelet from Sigyn's wrist and sliding it onto his own. She flinched at the contact, but it went unnoticed by anyone else. An agent to his left froze and looked again at Fury and Tony assumed he was the one called Dregar. For her part, Sigyn leaned more heavily on the counter to ease the weight off her legs. Her breathing became a little more labored and the color began to drain from her cheeks. "Easy there, princess, don't die on us just yet."

She ignored his jibe and returned Fury's glare. "I'll give you nothing to use against him," she said. "Torture me as you like, take your anger against him out on me, but do not think for a moment that anything you do to me will extract even an ounce of knowledge you can use to attack Loki."

A moment of silence passed before Tony said to Fury, "Look, even if I have no reason to believe that she's harmless, I _do_ have reason to believe Loki's threat to return and harm and maim those that imprison and torture _her_ is genuine. Believe what you will of me, but I'll allow her to stay here so JARVIS can keep an eye on her and so she isn't wandering the streets unsupervised."

A muscle twitched in Fury's jaw as he studied the pair of them. "If you are compromised, Stark, I'll rip the Arc Reactor out of your chest and feed it to you. For that matter, if she turns out to e crazier than Loki _and_ Thor combined, _you_ get to deal with the clean up."

"Fair enough," Tony said, extending one arm out to Sigyn's side when she started tilting back. "Now, shoo. I have important things I need to be doing." He glanced at the windows as a breeze wafted in. "And windows to replace."

Fury took a step back, paused, and smiled. "Expect the other Avengers within the week. If you're going to be babysitting Loki's girlfriend, you're going to have help doing it." It wasn't a surrender, not even close, but it would do.

Sigyn collapsed before he could make a smart reply and he caught her, bracing her weight against his shoulder and chest. Fury, by that point, had already turned and swept out of the room, leaving his agents to retreat.

* * *

Far above, within the realm of Asgard, Heimdall stood on the edge of the shattered Bifrost and peered intently into the darkness below. He Watched as the Lady Sigyn collapsed into the arms of the mortal that had defended her against the others of his kind. Another few minutes saw the retreat of the mortals that had threatened her and the attempts of her defender to move her into another room.

By that point, he sent word to Thor with a request to see the oldest prince of Asgard. In that message, he said nothing of the worry he felt over the plans that the fallen prince was hatching or the concerns he might have felt for the safety of one that had already suffered so much.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I'd apologize for the lateness of this chapter, but I'm not sorry, not really. This one was actually pretty grisly to write and I'm sort of glad its done and sort of proud of how it came together even if it did hurt to write some parts.

* * *

After the darkness and weakness took her, dreams that spun around nightmares pervaded her mind, sank into her with claws and drew from memories of times when things had been simpler and so much more painful. Moments when she had been the woman whose hand had been sought by the best warriors, the most prideful of Asgard, twined around the loneliness that the Void inspired. Times that had been suppressed for the sake of sanity in that place came crashing back.

_Gifts had been thrust on her, forced into her hands. Beauty had driven suitors to try. Scorn had held them in thrall, tainted their vision of her in times when she had shown them her magic, _her_ strength. Magic users had never been regarded as highly prized in a culture driven by physical strength and the victories that could be won and tasted in blood. Theoric, once friend and lover and betrothed, had won her love with patience and kind words in the midst of icy silence. There had been no scorn, no hate, no lies for the magic she had shown him, the strength she had possessed in her own right._

_She had fallen for him, loved him. Then, the battles. Theoric had left to fight a war and returned bitter. His were not the touches of one that knew love. His eyes had held an edge of shadow and fear. Nightmares had been the croon that lulled him to sleep and woke him screaming in the night. Scars that had not before existed on his body pulled at the skin around them and they were ones she could not heal. _

_Time was what she had thought he would need. Time, she supposed, might have done him good if Odin had not kept sending him on patrols, on missions, anything and everything. A sword, justice, enforcer, assassin, hired hand, strong arm others whispered to her. Anything and everything Odin wanted him to be, he delivered, but for her he gave nothing save the duty of his word given before he had changed. It had been the first time she could not put to rights what she loved._

The cry that left her lips echoed across the walls of the room. She almost rose from the depths of memories, but they caught her and held her. What had been stripped from her in the Void was returning with a vengeance. Every pain, every sorrow, every guilt was being pressed back into her mind where it belonged and she had to live each and every shattered moment again.

"_Why do you try?" Theoric asked her, voice sharp and harsh. They'd been arguing over the wedding, over the family they wanted each to invite, the home they wanted to build, the lives they wanted to live._

"_Because I love you. Isn't that enough?" she'd shot back, temper frayed and patience at an end._

"_No."_

_She'd let him go, watched him walk away and harden his heart towards her. Not for her magic and not for her beauty had he done it, but for the love she had tried to give him. War had made him bitter and Odin had stripped away everything else in creating an enforcer._

_Loki. Trouble and mischief and magic and a dark edge wrapped in the body of the second prince. A shadow to the light of the first prince. Pain had drawn premature lines around his eyes, made him look older than his years. Never once had she thought he would look twice at her. Caught in her own grief at the end of what should have been the beginning of her life, she had never spared a second thought for him until he sought her. _

_Why, she would never care to understand. What mattered was that he had tried. "You'll never be want for anything," he had promised with gifts and gold and words crafted to show his strength. He offered her the universe, if only she would be his, and she denied him, but not without hesitation._

Unseen, unheard, unnoticed the shadows the flitted through the room she inhabited spoke in soft words. The weight that made the bed dip beside her was a familiar one and she relaxed into the cool touch of fingers that stroked down her cheek. When she settled into a dreamless sleep, Loki withdrew once more from her. Without him there, the peace evaporated and she was thrown back into the past and trapped there.

_Theoric had turned cruel in his words after that, withdrawn the little affection he might once have harbored for her. _Whore_ and _traitor_ had been the kindest things he said of her to those he called friends and never once did more than glance at her while she stood at his side and listened. Voices long silenced had begun to whisper of a childhood spent in books and learning and magic and suddenly all she had were the memories of a time when life had seemed innocent._

_Second prince and ever shadow to Thor had continued in his pursuit of her, however quite he was about his attempts. Flowers on the windowsill, a book of spells with annotations scribbled in the margins, the subtle turn of phrase that stopped the wagging of a tongue in the midst of condemning her, small things that made her day a little easier and what she had missed since Theoric had closed his heart to her._

"Sir," Jarvis intoned. "I do not think it wise to prod her when it seems obvious that she is suffering from a nightmare. All of her vitals indicate that she is in a state of distress. If she were to wake suddenly, I cannot say what might happen."

A moment of silence stretched between the AI and Tony. He eyed the section of wall where he had installed the speakers for the room and said, "I could reprogram you…with a hammer."

"You could, sir, but then you would also be required to make phone calls regarding your own takeout orders," Jarvis pointed out. "Therefore, I am ninety eight percent certain that you will not attempt to _reprogram_ me."

"You have no faith in me, J, no faith at all," Tony said, affecting a mockingly wounded tone.

"One must always account for the insanity that usually accompanies the self-proclamation of being a genius," Jarvis said dryly.

Tony might have muttered something about AIs fighting dirty, but he retreated to the doorway of the room. He paused there and looked over his shoulder to take in the sight of the small frame twisted in the sheets of his guest bed. There was a pang that might have been guilt, but he had satisfied his curiosity that the woman was alive-as Jarvis had continually updated him-and thus he had no more reason to intrude on her privacy.

_Words had not been enough. Driving her to pain in such a way had been little more than the prelude to what had happened after another argument. The blossoming shadow of a bruise on her cheek had stirred the whispers of condemnation again and made her lift her chin all the higher for the dark gazes they cast her. _

_It had been the first time that Loki dared to touch her, the ghosting of his fingertips across the discoloration. The look in his eyes had made her heart beat a little faster, made her wonder if he would care what might have happened should she just vanish. Words had failed him and she had left him standing in the middle of a feast when Theoric called her to his side. That was also the first time she had risked a glance over her shoulder in parting with him to witness the second prince staring after her. _

_Some of Odin's court had made outraged sounds over the action of one claimed sharing any kind of look with a prince. Let the mongrels talk, she had decided. What could they destroy that had not already been taken from her?_

Had not there been the feel of silken cloth against her skin, she might never have recalled it in the first place. So many times she had worn a similar material against her skin, so many times she had repeated the conversation that had pained her.

_Woman after woman, man after man came forward to whisper in her ear of the dalliances they had taken her betrothed in. It became a game, a taunt to those that despised her abilities. The twist of her lips and the words she returned made them falter and stare wide eyed as she left them standing rooted to the spot. She might have left him then, but it would have ruined him and she couldn't quite bring herself to do that to him._

_Still, she never turned down the quiet overtures of affection that the second prince made towards her. She accepted the ring he gave her, listened to the gentle words he spoke, drank in the words of power he used around her. Never once did he again try to buy her affection as he had done on his first attempt._

Loki, always Loki, she came back to. In pain, in sorrow, in death and mischief she had returned to him and stood solidly beside him. He was the darkness within the light, the light within darkness that kept her sane even when he had not been entirely hers and she not entirely his. Even now, even now, even now…

_Ending the engagement had been a surprise, the final twist that shattered her heart. Tears had not been shed in front of him, but the tightness of his mouth and the tone of his words had told her that was what he had been determined to wring from her. He had wanted only to hurt her in ways he had been hurt, to bend her spirit to match his. When that had failed, he had let go of duty, had thrown himself to the whims of a king that cared nothing for what had been lost. Enforcer. Odin's Hand. Whispers of his deeds had seeped into gossip and touched even her ears. She had lost him long before the war had started._

_In the privacy of her own rooms she had shed tears for what had been and what might have been. Not even Loki had disturbed her that night._

She twisted the sheets between her hands, sweat collecting on her skin and dampening the cloth around her as she fought against the tide and fell once more to the memories. Around her, the temperature of the room adjusted slightly, as though she were being encouraged to sweat the past from her skin.

_Whatever the whisperers said later, Loki had not been the one to suggest Theoric's death. It had been her idea just as it had been his to take Theoric's place and proceed with the wedding as though the engagement had never been broken. _

_That Odin had sent his right hand on a mission to nip something in the bud with the dwarves, it made their plan almost too easy. She remembered the apprehension, the guilt at letting Loki carry out her revenge, and the twisting of her hands as she waited for the news. Others put it to the fact that her betrothed had been sent on to deal with a dangerous task again._

_When Theoric returned injured and limping, but very much alive, she had felt her heart go cold and her stomach twist in fear. Then, he had swept her into a desperate kiss and held her like he never had and she knew him for the illusion he wore. The punch of guilt and grief were muted by the happiness of being free of the such oppressive ties, of knowing that there was nothing but love in her future. _

She would miss those idyllic moments when she and Loki were secure in their knowledge that they had succeeded and done so in such a way that they were bold in their affections of each other.

_The engagement was announced once again and those of the court accepted that Theoric had changed his mind after a brush with death. The wedding was spectacular, huge, and over the top just like they did everything in Asgard. Even Thor's companion, Volstagg, proclaimed the food was excellent beyond what normally slid down his throat. When the façade dropped and Odin bellowed his wrath, she couldn't have contained the tears that dampened her cheeks. What she had hoped for, wanted, was not for Loki to have been cast away the day of their wedding from his family and his home, but the impish look he had given her had told her enough. _

_Telling Odin that she would continue being Loki's wife had been the icing on the cake of an otherwise strangely happy day. The look on his face had been a mix of horrified and pitying and had made her wonder at the relationship the man bore to his son. _

Tears gathered at the corners of her eyes and slid down her cheek to mingle with long, dark hair. One last memory, one last pain. The dagger that had ended love, ended all save for loyalty. No more dreams to be left after this, no worse betrayal than the death and violence and terror and heartache.

_Holding them, nursing them, loving them had been the beginning of her end. Narvi and Vali, such lovely boys and hers. Oh. How they had been hers, following her about, clinging to her skirts, shying from the contact of other adults. Loki had loved them as he had her, in his own way. _

_But she had never been able to hold something of her own without Odin tainting it in some way. Thirteen years they had been hers before death had come for them, shadowed and shrouded in the golden light the All-father called _justice._ Their forms twisted, minds altered, and set against each other to the bitter end, her boys had fought. She had screamed and begged and been restrained, fought and clawed and been struck down for the trouble she had caused. _

_An audience had been there, present like it was a sport to watch. The sounds and snarls and rending of flesh had filled the room and none had flinched from the sight of it. And that hadn't been the worst of it. No, seeing one boy kill the brother he had been born with, raised with had not been the worst of it. Covered in the blood of his twin, the scent of death still clinging to him, Narvi had been released from the spells and allowed a look at the carnage he had wrought with his own hands before he screamed and kept on screaming until Odin had neatly sliced his grandson's head off and called it _mercy.

_After that, she had been released and she had scrambled forward to fall at their sides, to hold them to her breast, to scream her grief and disbelief and call for Loki, beg for Loki to come and set things right, and…_

…and she woke with the tears on her cheeks and the short gasping of breath that came before the scream. Loki had not come that day because he had been beaten senseless and left to the tender mercies of the dwarves to sew his mouth shut. He had broken a deal in which the dwarves had planned to use him to take Asgard and Odin had taken his sons as payment, as recompense to avoid a war that had happened anyways.

Curled as she was around herself, she yanked the pillow from beneath her head and buried her face in it, muffling the sobs that overtook her slender frame. It didn't matter where she was, what enemies of Loki's that had her. Nothing would ever compare to that moment, to that day when her sons had paid for the imagined slights of the father.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Not as long as the chapter from yesterday and not quite so angst ridden, but here it is and hopefully just as well received as the last one. Thank you to all my lovely reviewers, as well.

* * *

When Fury had said within the _week_, really he should have expected it. Steve, Clint, and Natasha _were_ agents of SHIELD and…well…he couldn't imagine that they really would have trusted him with _babysitting_ an angry, destructive Norse god's mythological wife. Hell, he wouldn't have trusted himself even with Jarvis and Pepper there to back him up-not that he would admit that to the three currently staring/glaring him down. Really, though, having them appear at his tower at barely the end of the first day was saying a little too clearly that Fury didn't trust to take care of any kind of threat.

The silence that stretched between them as he observed them from across the same bar Loki had materialized beside, he contemplated the ironies of the situation. Where they were standing was the same area in which he had originally confronted Loki during the invasion, not to mention the still fractured floor where the Hulk had gone smash-happy with the same would-be conqueror. The window-now covered over by a thin sheet of plastic thanks to Fury's visit and a very irate contractor he called at 3 am-was even the same one he had been tossed out of. Maybe he should just section off this part of the tower and call it contaminated or find some way to frame it to-

Steve cleared his throat and Tony set aside the amusing thoughts to focus on the Captain. "What?" he asked. "Oh. Right! My houseguest. She's been perfectly docile for the last day since Fury swooped in like a bird of prey-no offense, Hawkeye-and-"

"-unconscious," Jarvis interjected before Tony could get off on another tangent. "Sir, I would recommend that you at least try to feed her. Biological scans and body temperatures as well as cross-reference against those of Thor's indicate that she has lacked sustenance for at least a month…perhaps longer."

Only Natasha appeared indifferent to Jarvis' interruption, but both Clint and Steve had looked up at the ceiling and Tony had to smother a laugh before they interpreted it wrong. No matter who they were or thought they were, when people were first introduced to Jarvis their first reaction would be to look up at the ceiling.

Then, Clint recomposed himself and Tony could only be glad that the archer didn't have his bow anywhere near him as the lines of his face settled again into a glare. "Considering that this is _Loki_ we're discussing, I'm not surprised. Which, by the way, what the _hell_ were you thinking, taking her in like a stray? For all you know she could be a ticking time bomb, directed at us by _Loki_." Tony tried to interject, but the archer wasn't done as he continued, "The same _Loki_ who tried to take over _our planet_ and _enslave_ us with an _army of monsters_ that we are _still_ cleaning up after." It went unspoken in the color of his cheeks, the spark in his eyes, and the tension of his body that he still remembered very well those weeks he had spent under the control of the Trickster.

Natasha was looking at Clint sidelong as color flushed his cheeks and his muscles tensed. "Hawkeye…Clint," she said softly and he looked at her. "We're here to assess whether or not she really is a threat and to determine the best course of action should she prove an asset or a threat. Stark doesn't show any signs of being controlled and we don't actually know what her role in the invasion was."

_Let Sigyn's actions speak for her,_ Loki had told him. It was good advice even from a villain. After all, if he had judged everyone he knew by the actions of Obadiah then he never would have had a chance with Pepper and Rhodey would have become just another military consultant. Betrayal from one source didn't necessarily mean that those close to the source were to blame. Looking over his teammates, he considered them.

Natasha with her ledger had once been a spy for Russia. Clint was a master assassin that heeled to the orders of his masters and if he insisted that Sigyn was evil for being so closely connected to the Trickster then where did that leave him? Steve displaced in time with nothing but the cold reality of orders to cling to and no one to really ground him in the time that he had woken in. Battle was what had drawn them together and it had forged ties that he was unwilling to overlook. His honor wasn't spotless, even compared to theirs, and he wasn't inclined to pretend that he was flawless.

"Right, well, we're going to be here for a while," he said, coming to a decision. "You may as well be comfortable for as long as you _are_ here. One rule, though, no entering the lab without permission. It's got all the shiny kind of high-tech security that would make SHIELD drool and that's not even counting Jarvis so don't even try to break in otherwise you _will_ regret it." Natasha's quirked lips made him think she was looking at it like a challenge. "You can choose from any of the rooms, but knowing you lot you'll want to be on the same floor as our guest so there are plenty of rooms available. Make yourselves at home."

Silence stretched between the four of them as they each tried to sort through their own thoughts. Tony was just beginning to drift back towards the ideas he had had for the suit when Jarvis said, "Sir, I do believe that your guest has woken."

* * *

Sigyn was pushing her hair back from her face when she sat up. There were dried tear tracks down her cheeks as she looked around her surroundings and took them in. Some of it she recognized, some of it she didn't. The bed, chair, desk, chest of drawers, and bed-side table were familiar enough that she could name them, but the long sheet of black material that hung on the wall and the metal cylinder with a rounded hood were foreign to her.

Picking up the smaller item that was on the bedside table, she tugged at the leash that attached it to the wall and examined the strange cord of rope. Strange that such a piece of material would be used to tether another object down in such a flimsy fashion as to easily be pulled from the wall. It was enough to keep her occupied and not dwelling upon the memories until she heard a voice say, "Ms. Sigyn, if you would be so kind as to set the lamp you hold back onto the bedside table, it would be greatly appreciated."

She looked up at the ceiling and stared for a long moment as she assimilated the recent events back into her memory as well. Obediently, she set the object-_lamp_, she categorized-down and asked, "You are…Jar-vis? Disembodied voice to the one named Stark? Are you to be my jailor, then?"

There was a lengthy pause before the voice answered, "In the order that you asked: I am Jarvis. My creator is Anthony Stark, but I do not speak with his voice or even for him. My purpose is not to imprison you. As I have not received instructions to the contrary, you are free to wander the communal areas of the tower so long as you do not prove to be hostile in your intentions towards my creator and his team."

Tilting her head, she glanced around the room and asked, "Your…creator? He is your father, then?"

Another pause told her enough, but Jarvis said, anyways, "It is a close enough comparison, though not strictly true." She nodded and was almost startled when he asked, "Your union with…Loki…was it one freely undertaken or were you tricked into it?"

"What do you know of my history? I know that Mid-_Earth_ has some knowledge, though that knowledge is fraught with the inventive tales of those who recorded the events originally," she said, finally settling her nerves. If she was not to be imprisoned and she was to reside among her husband's enemies, then it would not hurt to put some of the facts to right.

"It is fragmented at best, but some of the myths regarding Norse gods would have us believe that he killed your previous lover and tricked you into marrying him," he said.

To that, she laughed and Jarvis waited patiently for her answer. "Loki is many things, but he has never tricked or forced _me_ into doing anything that I would not have freely done for him. I…would not call him an innocent, but neither is he the worst thing in this universe. May I ask another question of you, Jarvis?"

"So long as it does not pertain to secrets my creator keeps, yes," came the answer and she smiled despite herself. It was good to know that she was not the only one loyal to another in the entire galaxy.

"Did Loki truly attempt to take over Mid-_Earth_?" she asked, correcting herself on the planet's name again.

There was another pause and she was beginning to think that Jarvis was gathering his thoughts during these brief silences. "If you would direct your attention to the east wall, Ms. Sigyn, and pull the curtain back." He waited until she had complied, wobbling on unsteady legs as did so, and for her eyes to adjust to the sudden spiking of sunlight before he continued, "If you would like, I can detail exactly which buildings were damaged and how in the onslaught of his army before my creator and his team defeated him."

She was silent as she took in the sight of the buildings being repaired around the city. It seemed almost as though no place had escaped damage. "How long ago?" she asked, voice soft.

"Approximately nine months."

Tilting her head back, she looked again at the ceiling and asked, "Are you sure that it was Loki that led the invasion? I have seen my husband raze civilizations to the ground and burn the ashes with less than an army at his back."

"I-" Jarvis began, but the door to her room opened and she turned to look at the figures in the hall.

In the doorway stood one Anthony Stark. Behind him stood two other males and a female, but it was the first human that had defended her that held her gaze. If she was not to be imprisoned, then it was best to start with introductions. The matter of Loki's destructive abilities could be dwelled upon later. "You are Anthony Stark, then?" she asked.

"And you would be Sigyn, wife of Loki," Jarvis' creator drawled back. "Jarvis, lights please. I'd like for everyone to be able to see each other." The light flickered on and then dimmed in intensity a little when Sigyn was forced to squint against the sudden glare. As her sight was clearing, Anthony moved into the room and his three companions followed after him.

That was about the time that the electrical storm streaked across the sky in all its angry glory, darkened the window Sigyn still help open for a moment before the light dissipated into fantastic swirls around the tower, and then vanished as quickly as it had appeared. "Sir," Jarvis intoned. "I do believe you have another guest."


	5. Chapter 5

The city beneath him spread out like a living scar. He could see the damage that had been wrought by his own hand as well as that of the invading army and the planet's defenders. His eyes traced the familiar sights and absorbed the repairs that had altered the battlespace since he had last seen it. Though the scene was devastating for the Midgardians who had been affected, it was not the worst that he had ever seen or wrought by his own hands.

Sightseeing, though, was not what he had come for. Thor turned from the sight that the city offered him and looked instead upon the domain of his comrade and marveled at the sheer height and glory that the tower offered. From where he stood upon the landing pad, the sun glinted off of the windows and cast back at him a shower of rainbows. Within the windows, beyond the door, there was movement that made him catch his breath.

Unlike the first time that he had seen them, they were not contained within a flying craft and Loki had been last seen far from the planet. The Captain, the Man of Iron, and the Hawk as well as the Lady Natasha watched his approach from where he had landed. Under normal circumstances, he would have been overjoyed to see them again, but times were far from normal and if Heimdall were correct then so much of what he had known was a lie.

* * *

Sigyn followed after the three with Anthony's chatter taking up her attention. She didn't understand half of what he was trying to explain about their 'technology', but she gathered enough that he was willing to show her how to use a thing called the 'kitchen' if she wished to make food for herself. It was impossible to not to smile when Jarvis interrupted his creator's speech long enough to point out that the last time Anthony had used a kitchen, he had nearly burned the stove down and set his hair on fire. Anthony had merely brushed that off and called it a drunken mishap and pointed out that the incident had been two years ago.

For herself, she was glad enough to let him distract her from the possibility of seeing her brother-in-law again. Her steps weren't always steady, but every time she wobbled Anthony or his brown-haired companion caught her before she fell. The dark haired male kept as far away from her as possible without actually leaving his companions to escort her around on their own and the other female seemed content to ignore her. There was something about the female and the way she moved that reminded her ever so subtly of Sif and the times that they had sparred.

With half an ear on Anthony's explanation of 'electricity', she examined his companions and admitted that they were, indeed, something that Midgard could be proud of. Lean, battle scarred, and lithe in movement, they were comparable to that of Asgard's warriors without the cloak of invulnerability and arrogance. The more she considered them against Asgard's finest, the more she found that she liked the idea of the human warriors.

Then, they were halting their steps before a great glass door and Anthony was standing before her, his body slightly angled so that her vision of the outside was obscured. Without knowing the why or how, she felt a rush of affection for the human that was still was casually taking it upon himself to try and prevent disaster from befalling her. What had happened to him to make him so-

"Sister?" asked a familiar, husky voice and she had to swallow against the sudden rise of panic.

Anthony was watching her and he still hadn't moved to allow Thor easy access to her. Even without looking, she was aware that Anthony's companions had moved to flank her and block the possibility of escape. Something in her face must have told Anthony what she was feeling, because he turned to Thor, whom she still could not quite see, and he said, "Right, Pointbreak, she's not going back to Asgard with you. I already claimed babysitting duty for this one."

There was a pause and she could hear the rustle of fabric brushing against itself as one of Anthony's companions shifted uncomfortably. If she allowed the human to continue to stand for her, he would be hurt and that was not something she wished upon one who had shown her nothing but kindness since she had woken. It was one thing to let him distract her and stand against other humans, quite another to try and stand against the Crown Prince of Asgard.

She took a breath and steeled herself before she stepped to the right and brought herself directly into Thor's line of sight. "Anthony, it is alright. If Thor is here to return me to Asgard, then I will go with him," she said even as she recoiled at the thought of the golden realm. "There is no need for you to be overly concerned on my behalf."

When she finally looked at him, she could see the differences that years had brought to him. He was a few inches taller than she remembered and he had certainly filled out in muscle mass subtly more than he had been and his shoulders were a little more broad and drawn back, like he carried a weight he no longer felt. The armor and the hammer that he carried in his right hand were still very much the same.

"Sister," Thor said and it was more of a croak than a word. "You're alive. Father said-"

And with that her surprise snapped. She restrained the ire that she felt towards the Allfather as she said, "That's where you first went wrong, Thor, believing what Odin says about me or Loki. I'm not dead, as you can see. Loki found me in the Void." Thor blinked at that and she had to sigh. "If you ever held affection for myself or Loki, then _listen_ to what I have to say before you attempt to drag me back to Asgard."

Thor was silent for a long moment, studying her, before he nodded. "I am not here to bring you back, but I will listen nonetheless. Heimdall believes that Loki is up to mischief again and asked me to look into the matter."

A faint smile touched her lips. "When is my husband _not_ up to mischief?" she asked and Thor smiled a little in response. She held her hand out to him and he stepped forward to engulf her fingers in his own. "Brother. It _is_ good to see you again, no matter the circumstances."

Without taking his eyes off her, said, "Friend Stark, if you would permit us to use your dining hall, it would be most appreciated. I think it is time Sigyn knew of what transpired in her absence."

* * *

While the party followed the two Asgardians into the dining room, Jarvis put in a discreet call to a local restaurant and ordered several dozen kind of meals as his creator had, once again, forgotten the small detail of remembering to eat. It sometimes amused and amazed him to no end what humans forgot in their excitement over a new distraction. As Jarvis tracked the group's movements through the tower, he privately admitted that he could excuse his creator for forgetting to eat and feed his guest, _this_ time.

* * *

By the time that the food arrived, Thor had finished his tale of Loki's supposed betrayal and his attempt at genocide against the Frost Giants. Steve had just slipped away with Tony to retrieve the food from the deliverers and, when they returned, Thor had finished his tale of Loki's thwarted attempt to take over Midgard. Sigyn appeared to be tranquil and taking the news that her husband was a monster and a murderer well, Tony noted with a little apprehension.

It wasn't something that Tony would normally do, but as dishing the food out onto plates-wait, he had _actual_ _plates?_ Score one for Pepper-put a little distance between himself and the two Asgardians, he was all for it this once. He had just finished dishing the spaghetti onto six different plates and been handed the container of leafy green vegetables he made a face at when Steve asked, "_Do_ you think it is a good idea to house her here? SHIELD seems to be of the mind that she could be in on Loki's next scheme."

His eyes flicked once more to Loki's wife and he remembered _dark_ and _water_ and _pain_ and _screams_. The few times he had checked on her, there had been fresh tracks of tears and sweat clinging to her hair and glistening against her skin. Jarvis had reported every time she screamed and he couldn't bring himself to believe that anyone, even a mythological Norse god, could be quite that good of an actor even in their sleep. If it was a ploy, then it was a damn good one and not something he wanted to consider the consequences of.

"No, Cap," Tony said finally, eyes returning to his task as he divided the vegetables out five different ways. "Everything I've observed in her actions and what Jarvis has reported tells me that she's just been through one hell of an experience and is only now beginning to deal with it. That isn't something you go through around people you don't trust. If Loki does have another scheme up and running, I don't think she has anything to do with it."

Steve glanced at him and caught his eye. _Afghanistan_ and _Cold Sleep_ hung between them like a physical weight. Then, Steve switched his gaze away and collected the empty cartons.

* * *

Sigyn raked her hands through her hair as she absorbed Thor's story. It swirled around in her head and beat itself against everything she knew. Attempted genocide against the very race he apparently was? She could accept the failed takeover of Midgard without much difficulty, but wrapping her hear around the idea that Loki had tried and _nearly succeeded_ in slaughtering an entire planet's populace to get her back was almost a little much to handle.

Yet…_Yet…_

As she stared at Thor and settled her hands into her lap again, she almost smiled. "He didn't activate the bi-frost until you had returned," she murmured and they all turned their eyes upon her. "Loki _timed _it. He had to have known how long the Casket of Ancient Winters would render Heimdall immobilized and he used that to ensure you would be back in time to stop him." The more she thought about that particular flaw in Loki's plan, the more she understood. "What better way for you to regain full honor than to save the very race you had sought to destroy?"

There was a long moment of silence before the dark haired male snorted and rose fluidly from his chair. "That's all very well and good, but that seems a little far-fetched to me," he said, sliding around the counter to peer at the food that Jarvis had ordered for them.

Her grin was crooked when the dark haired male looked at her. "My husband loves endlessly complicated and absurd plans. Still, even if Thor had not succeeded, the destruction of an entire realm would have suited his purpose. In either case, it gave him the freedom he would have needed to search for the Tesseract without having to hide from do-gooders searching for him."

"He still led the assault on Earth," the dark haired male said heatedly. He came back around the counter, his hands balled into fists and eyes snapping dangerously. Though Thor stood to intercept him, it was the other female that halted his progress and whispered something into his ear.

Sigyn studied the man's tense frame and wondered for a moment if he had suffered personally at the hands of her husband. Glancing at Thor, she saw the tense set of his shoulders and felt her stomach curl at the confirmation she could see in the lines of his body. She dug the heel of her palm into her forehead and tried to scrub the apprehension and exhaust out of her face, but it was impossible. "Let me say this," she sighed, "A _single point of attack_ using the Tesseract to cut the dimensional divide open makes no sense unless he was trying to funnel the invasion and give you a chance to fight."

The brown haired male beside Anthony leaned against the counter and said, "That doesn't excuse his actions, ma'am. Point is, he killed a lot of people and did a lot of damage."

And that was when she saw it, in the grim set of their faces and the hard lines their mouths formed. They weren't going to be persuaded that Loki hadn't actually been their enemy. The Chitauri, as Thor had described them, had sounded like an unexpected snag to Loki's plan and the way in which the invasion had unfolded had seemed to her like her husband was doing his damnedest to prevent a slaughter by a force intent on invading no matter the consequences. Black and white was the hardest to overcome when individuals had no desire to see anything but what their own eyes had shown them.

"Alright," she said. "You have your way of seeing how it happened and I have mine." Anthony's companions frowned, but let the matter slide. She made a note to ask Jarvis about their names later as she had no desire to keep differentiating between them based on their physical characteristics.

Thor turned towards her, a different kind of frown tugging at his lips. "But…sister, how did you come to be within the Void?"

"Your father cast me into the endless nothing when I would not allow him to implicate Loki in a scheme he had no hand in."

"But what-"

"When the Álfar were being turned into beasts and sacrificed for their life energies, Odin sought to lay the blame at Loki's feet even when I provided alibi for him during most of the times the sacrifices were suspected to have taken place," Sigyn reminded him.

"Big surprise, there," the dark haired male muttered and she turned a sharp eye on him. He refused to look abashed and held her gaze.

"I…recall the events. After your disappearance, they stopped and…" Thor hesitated, but when she looked at him, he continued, "…and the unkind speculated that it had actually been you behind them."

There was no surprise, only a deep seated resignation that the whisperers had continued their aspersions upon her character even so long after they had all grown past childhood. "It was not me," she said calmly. "Amora had the most to gain by those actions."

Thor was nodding before she had even finished. "I thought as much."

Anthony took that moment to slide around the counter and the table to set a plate of food before her. "Foods ready. Do at least try and eat before Jarvis gives us another hint that _some_ of us need to eat," he said.

"I have only your best interests at heart, sir," Jarvis replied dryly.

"Of course you do, J, of course you do," Anthony said, eyeing a section of the wall.

With Thor thoroughly distracted by the idea of new Midgardian food, the others drifted away from them and Anthony took the empty seat beside her. As she picked at the food, she let Anthony's chatter slide into her ears and soothe the nerves that had been pricked over the course of the conversation. It was, she reflected, so like the times that her husband would talk endlessly about the higher forms of magic she barely understood and that, in itself, was comfort enough.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: As much as I enjoy writing this story and updating as much as possible, I must sadly inform the diligent reader that I will be taking a brief break between the times of Feb. 1 and 9 to ensure that reality does not slap me with a rude awakening. I will not promise a lengthy chapter for the 10th, but I will try for something that is satisfactory for my absence. What I _can_ promise is that I will not let this story go until I am done. This is a rare chance for me to refine my skills as a writer and to test the waters in areas where characters and expectations of them are already well established.

* * *

In a realm that was torn between ice and fire, shadows and light, Loki found himself watching the mirror he had crafted to track Sigyn's movements. It was a small thing, a circular object that he could easily slid into a pocket once he deactivated the spell. As it was, he was content in the moment to pause in the crafting of his newest residence to watch her slip into sleep with the dark blanket pulled up to her chin and her hair splayed across the pillow. He could not even bring himself to resent the fact that it had been Thor to carry her to bed when she fell asleep over her food.

Tapping the smooth surface with his thumb, he murmured the deactivation phrase and slid the mirror into the inner lining of his breastplate. While it was not as good as being in her presence, it _did_ create a balm for the anxiety he felt when he could not track her with his own eyes. Too long she had been trapped in the Void with no contact with anyone. It was a wonder that she had not gone insane, but, then, she was _his_ wife and that meant she had to be resilient in nature to match the chaos he could create on a whim.

With his mind eased on her condition, he set back to work crafting the spells that would make a habitable atmosphere on an unforgiving planet that would scorch all others. It would take time and planning as well as effort on his part, but the security that the inhospitable planet offered would well protect the plans he was spinning.

* * *

Heimdall felt the frown tug at his lips as he watched the second prince of Asgard craft spells around himself. That he was able to see a spellcaster of Loki's ability at all told him that the Trickster wanted _him_ to know where he was, to see the plots and schemes that he were being hatched under Asgard's very nose. If he was less charitable, he would have said that Loki was boasting, but Loki had not been the type to boast of his victories as a child.

His gaze switched momentarily to the sleeping form of Sigyn, settled safely on the realm of Midgard. With the revelation that she was _still alive_, if held immaterial within the Void, was not something he had ever expected. That she was alive at all had puzzled him in more ways than her reported death. Cast into the Void _by_ Odin? Yes, that was something that he could accept as having happened. Odin, despite all his claims of love for his second heir, had never shown him the favor he had Thor. What he could not understand was the _why_ of the actions. Perhaps watching the two of them would reveal the answer to that, or else unravel everything around them.

* * *

Sif sat in the training yards with Hogun leaning against the wall next to her. With Thor's sudden departure and Loki's subsequent exile, everything had seemed to become that much more boring. Fandaral and Volstagg seemed equally uninterested in the change of events with their hobbies being of an equal distraction. At least between the two of them, the silences were not of an unbearable quality like they were with the other members of Odin's court, smug in their knowledge that they had been _right._

Even watching the newest warriors try and regain the skills lost in their reincarnation had lost its amusement that morning. If she had felt so inclined, she might have felt the need to instruct them in the ways of wielding shield and sword, but she had stopped doing that years ago. Glancing at Hogun, they shared a knowing look as another warrior cut himself on his own weapon. Together, they left the training grounds to look into the duty roster that assigned patrols to the more experienced warriors. If there was nothing else to be found in the palace to amuse themselves, then at least they could be useful and hone their skills to a new degree.

* * *

There was a shift in the small, dank room that made the Hulk shift inside Bruce. He shivered with the anticipation that usually preluded the change, but when he turned to see who had invaded his newest sanctuary he was unsurprised to see the SHIELD agents. It wasn't that they wore a uniform or even that there was a _look_ to them. These three men wore casual clothes that might have blended into any crowd in the small town, backwoods community he had sought refuge in. It was more the fact that they were _here_ without offering violence or threats that he knew they were SHIELD agents sent to collect him.

He tried to smile, tried to make light of the situation. "Is there another invasion the Hulk is needed to smash?" he asked, but it fell flat and that made cold fear curl through his blood.

"Not quite," the lead agent answered. "But it could become one if we aren't careful." Seeming to gather his courage, the lead agent straightened and stepped forward from his companions. "Dr. Banner, we're here to collect you to ensure that the situation does not get out of control. The Avengers are assembling again."

* * *

She was bored and that was frustrating. With Loki's banishment, she had lost her most key opponent. He had been clever in ways that no other Asgardian could have matched and her equal in every arena of magic except, perhaps, in that of seduction. The thought made her smile, but only fleetingly before she was returned to the reality of her situation. Everything had come naturally, so _easily_ to her since the departure of the second prince. None of the males that she seduced, swayed, cast aside could match the fire that had seemed to dance around him. No one had dared to cause the mischief he had in Odin's court and thought everything was peaceful, it was _boring._

Amora danced a fine line between intelligent and insane and she prided herself on knowing when she was sliding too quickly towards insanity. It was never a good feeling when she lost herself, became a slave to the whims on the other side of the line, but, _oh_, it was always a glorious time of activity and joy. Standing upon the line again, she decided to step over on her own simply to what enticement it held this time. If she could top the incident with the Álfar, then she would be content for a long time.

* * *

Thor ran a thumb over his hammer, absently tracing the intricate carvings. He had long since retired to the room that Tony had provided him. In his reflections of the conversation, he reviewed time and again Sigyn's words. _He timed it._ Knowing that his brother had intentionally provoked him into banishment had hurt. Fighting him to protect Midgard had been worse and each blow he had landed to Loki's body had made his own ache in sympathy. _A single point of attack to give you a fighting chance._ He wanted to grasp at the hope that Sigyn had tried to give, _wanted_ to believe that she understood Loki better than him, but she hadn't been there.

Still, though, Sigyn existed where she should not have. Her voice, her words, her actions, her body language were so familiar he would have sworn to the end of the universe that it _was_ Sigyn, yet his own father had told him that Sigyn was _dead_. He remembered the grief that had ripped through his brother and the shuddering gasps that wracked the younger prince as he held him. There had been no explanation as to _how_ she had died, no consolation offered to Loki for the death of one he had so cared for.

Heimdall certainly believed that she was who she looked like and that was enough to settle any unease he might have had about her identity. It did not, however, answer the _why_. He wasn't even he wanted to know, but his father lying about something so vitally important, no, being the reason behind the tragedy was not something he was sure he wanted to forgive and forget. Odin had been heavy handed with some of the things his brother had done, but most of the time it had been to prevent others from trying to exact their revenge in less well lit circumstances, but…no.

His thoughts spun back towards Narvi and Vali. The mission in its vital importance had been too well placed, too well timed. He had had to quell the dwarves, try and placate them enough to hand his brother back to them, reason with them that the death of the second prince would not be worth the consequences. And the entire time, he could not help think that he had been shunted from Asgard in a moment when he would have fought his hardest against the decision his father had made. Others had been more skilled than he and would have succeeded more quickly than he. It was sad knowledge that he had succeeded at the expense of the lives of his nephews, claimed in the bargain of peace the dwarves had broken anyways. In the war that had followed, he had been glad for the first time to step back and let his brother lead their charge, to vent his grief and rage.

His thoughts spun away again and again, taking him down ever darkening paths of memory, to moments when he had thought nothing of his father's actions. He could not even regret the loss of the last of arrogant pride and naivety he had held so fast to as a child. His father was not perfect, was not even close, and if things were what they were suddenly so painfully painting themselves as, then his father was a lot worse than he had ever thought possible. As the sun rose over the buildings of the city, he still idly traced the carvings on his hammer and felt the last of his decision click into place.


	7. Chapter 7

Stark had been more than generous, Clint grudgingly admitted as he put away his clothes. He didn't like the reasons behind the move-in even if he had, secretly, wanted the Avengers to reunite. That Loki's wife was sleeping on the same floor as him made his skin crawl. Some part of him insisted that it would be better for him, for everyone, if he just slipped into the shadows and put an arrow through her eye. Then, there would be no need to worry, no need to lay awake at night and wonder what she might be planning, when _Loki_ might return for him. Then _Loki_ would have lost something precious to him.

As he shut the drawer, he glanced at the bow SHIELD had allowed him to bring with his belongings. It wasn't technically his, nothing was, but he knew every sinew, every fiber of the wood and metal frame like he knew his own hands. He knew the strength of the string and exactly how far back he would have to pull it to loose an arrow at close range. One little _twang_, barely even a sound, and it would be done. His last kill. If she died by his hand, his arrow, then Loki would find him and the nightmares would be at an end. And what an end it would be if he could manage it.

His eyes swept around the room, noting the distinct lack of personal touch. He had no past, he had made sure to let go of everything when SHIELD took him in. There had been nothing and no one he had wanted to hold onto. If he succeeded, and he was fairly certain he would, then Nat would be the only one to miss him and if he could secure the world against another invasion, then even the pain he would cause her would be worth it.

He ignored the little part of his mind that whispered doubts. If Sigyn was Loki's woman, then she would be like him and if she were like him then there was every chance that more people would be ensnared and hollowed out as he had been. Decided, he moved without a sound through the dimly lit room and snatched the bow up from its place by the door.

* * *

It was the triggering of one of the internal, silent sensors that roused his systems to full activity. Jarvis had tracked each occupant to their rooms and determined that they would have no further need of him before entering into his stasis mode. Running a quick signature scan, he registered that the heat output of the body matched that of Hawkeye, one of the tower residents.

Plotting the course he was on, Jarvis determined the man's destination. If he had been human, he would have scratched his head. The Hawk was not on course to the kitchen or one of the communal areas of the tower. Running the statistics, he came to a conclusion and made a search for orders concerning this kind of situation. Finding none, he activated the vocal output in the room that was the Hawk's destination.

* * *

She was roused by the steady voice she had come to identify as Jarvis. "Ms. Sigyn, please wake. It is important that you know another tower occupant is moving towards your room and carrying a weapon. Biological scans suggest that it is Hawkeye. What is your preference for dealing with this issue? Mr. Stark has input no specifications for circumstances such as these, but I am authorized to use lethal force to neutralize any threat."

Blinking against the sleep that clouded her eyes, she looked up at the ceiling. "Wha-" she started, her mind still trying to process both the unfamiliar words and the situation. Clearing her throat and pushing herself into a sitting position, she scrubbed the sleep from her eyes and asked, "What was that, Jarvis? I only caught the last half of what you said."

There was a moment of silence before Jarvis said, "I believe that Hawkeye-the dark haired male you met today-is coming to your room with hostile intentions. If you wish it, I can render him unconscious before he reaches you."

She hummed thoughtfully. "Will he be hurt if you do?" she asked.

Another pause and she guessed he was checking on the Hawk's position. "There is a ninety-three percent chance that he will not be harmed. Depending on how he falls, there is a seven percent chance that he will strike his head against the wall and cause damage to himself."

"Thank you, Jarvis, no. Allow me to first attempt to handle the situation and if I should fail then you have my blessing to do as you see fit," she said. There was no answer.

* * *

The door was shut.

Of _course_ the door was shut.

Clint considered the door and the possibility that he would wake his target with the opening of the door, but the hall was dark and no light would be allowed in should he open it. He opened the door just wide enough and slid inside, closing it softly behind him. As the door clicked shut, he felt the coiling tendrils of the spell as it sank into his skin and held him immobile. Had he been able to, he would have cursed his own stupidity in forgetting that Loki had always set spells when he had retired.

There was a movement as a figure moved into the line of light cast by the moon. He couldn't see her face, didn't need to. If she was like Loki in any manner, then she would kill him for intruding and by his death, she would mark herself an enemy.

"Jarvis, lights please," she said and the room was suddenly bright with illumination.

Dark haired, fine boned, clothes a rumpled mess from sleep, and green magic sparking around her hands as she approached him. Fear lanced through him and he tried to struggle, to find a weakness in the spell, but his muscles barely twitched in answer to his commands. It was going to happen again, he was going to be _erased_ and _hollowed out_ and nothing but a _puppet waiting for commands._ He would have to fight Nat again. He closed his eyes and held his breath against what was to come, but nothing ever touched his skin. There was no touch of slender fingers against his heart as Loki had done, no reaching of magic seeking to rip apart the core and realign the parts to fit the need.

"You fear me," came a soft voice, not the one he had been expecting. The spell released itself and he stumbled forward, his bow sliding from numb fingers. Small fingers caught his shoulders and pushed him back before he could fall. He jerked away, a gasp ripping itself from his lips. Eyes flying open, he saw that she was closer than he had thought, and his gaze darted towards his weapon, but she stepped between him and it. "Settle yourself, Hawk. I've no wish of violence, but I will protect myself."

He swallowed convulsively, recalled the strength Loki had displayed against Thor and stepped back from her. Any element of surprise he might have been able to use would have been negated with her strength and the training she had likely received as an Asgardian. Her head tilted back to hold his gaze and he noted that she was nearly a full head shorter than him. Silence settled between them and when it stretched even further, he shifted his weight onto the balls of his feet.

A small smile curved her lips, but there was a strange kind of sadness that tugged at her eyes. It made him want to look away. "You are not the first to have attempted to kill me in the dead of night, Hawk," she said. "Will you tell me why?"

"No." It was past his lips before he thought about it.

She lifted one shoulder and let it fall again. "It is of no consequence," she admitted. "Merely a curiosity, but I find myself required to ask if you will be making another attempt. You owe me that."

"I owe you nothing," he ground out and the look on her face slid to one of bland consideration.

After an uncomfortably long silence, she spoke again. "You were hurt personally by Loki. That is usually the reason that assassins sneak through the night to kill me. To strike at him in an area that would devastate him and avenge the wrong they perceive was done to them," she observed dryly.

The tone of her voice, the delivery of such an astute observation made his mouth twitch. He stepped forward as anger nestled itself in his chest. "You know nothing of what he did. You've no idea what it's like to be unmade," he snarled before he could stop himself.

Her gaze was calm, almost tranquil as she met his approach. "Mind control, then," she said and he gritted his teeth. "That your mind is own now should tell you enough."

There was no thought, no plan, just a desire to _move_ and corner her. When he leapt at her, she moved with him, placing her hands on his shoulders, planting her foot in his stomach, and launching him towards the bed as she fell to the floor. He landed on his ass, limbs sprawling ungracefully around him. The wind was knocked from his lungs and when he regained his scattered senses, he sucked in a grateful breath of air and blinked rapidly.

Her face appeared in his line of sight and though she looked slightly amused, he could see lines of worry pulling at her eyes. She knelt at his side, but he jerked away from her touch and sat up. They stared at each other for a long moment, then she looked away and rose gracefully to move back towards the other side of the room. That she hadn't done more than defend herself made him wonder, made him _almost_ look at his own actions with disapproval. She was holding back, he realized, and he wasn't sure if that terrified him or not.

"Hawk, if he had wanted to keep you for his own, he would have made the spell permanent," she said when she was a respectable distance from him. "You have your doubts, I understand that. Ask Thor in the morning. He understands the principles behind most forms of magic. If that still does not satisfy you, then you may challenge me in any form of combat you wish. But do so in full view of your teammates so that they do not lose faith in you."

The pain that stabbed through him wasn't entirely physical. She had hit it on the nail. His team. He had been compromised once and they had taken him back with no real resistance. If Sigyn had killed him, he would have been beyond caring, but he wasn't and he knew that Stark and Steve wouldn't take kindly to a stealth assassination attempt on one of the tower's occupants and their opinions _did_ matter to him. She was giving him a chance to retreat, offering him a way to keep his dignity. Clearly, he had chosen the wrong approach in attempting to kill her and maybe it was for the better that he had failed. He said nothing as he rose to his feet and collected his bow. There _was_ nothing to say in the face of a retreat like he was making. Even if he did manage to kill her later, there would be no erasing the shame of this failure.

As he slipped through the door again, she said, quietly, "Hawk." For a fraction of a moment, he considered ignoring her, but then he paused and glanced back at her, waiting for her to say her piece. "I _have_ been unmade in the fashion that was done to you. Pray you never meet Amora." He was good at detecting lies, had been trained by the best, and there was nothing in her body language, the tile of her lips, or the movement of her head that told him she was lying. Even Loki had had a telltale when he lied and the memory made his heart skip. She wasn't lying and wasn't that something new to ponder.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: This will be my final update for the next 10 days or so.

* * *

When he was sure that Sigyn actually had let him go, Clint shouldered his bow and padded lightly back to the general area in which his room had been and veered across the hall. He wasn't surprised to see that the light was still on in Natasha's room. Nor was he surprised that the door opened after his first knock. The look that she gave him was enough to confirm that she knew what he had been doing so late in the night, but she didn't confront him on it, didn't even ask for details. She just stepped back from her door and silently invited him inside.

"Was I compromised beyond redemption?" he asked as he set the bow down and sank onto the bed. He let his head fall into his hands.

Natasha sat down beside him, curling her body around his as she kneaded the knots from his shoulders. "No more than I," she said and it was enough.

* * *

When Steve first woke the next morning, he was disoriented and tensed at the unfamiliar surroundings. Then, memory slowly unraveled itself before his eyes and he relaxed, knowing he was mostly safe. Years of training and honing his skills made it second nature to assess the situation and though he knew that his team was more or less with him, he couldn't be completely sure that everything was what it seemed to be.

Shelving the deeper analysis of their situation for later, he kicked off the sheets and crossed the room in two strides to the bathroom where he stripped and turned the shower on. He was slightly proud of himself for figuring out the complicated knobs and dials that adjusted temperature and the pressure of the spray. Why Stark figured his guests would need such devices was rather beyond him.

Clean and dressed in a casual tee and jeans, he made his way back to the dining area where he had seen the kitchen. They hadn't had much of a chance to see the place as Stark had offered, but he was relatively certain that he could make use of the building that he did know and if there was a gym somewhere in the building, then his day was complete. As he neared the kitchen area, he realized that he could smell the cooking of eggs and a little over cooked toast as well as acidic smell that made him wrinkle his nose. There were voices that were only vaguely unfamiliar to him.

When he placed the higher, feminine voice he froze and, for one horrible moment, he thought that the other deeper, more baritone voice was that of Loki's. Then, he remembered hearing the AI speak the previous night. He wasn't entirely sure why he stopped at the edge of the hall to listen to the conversation, but he realized that it might be one of the rare moments when Sigyn wasn't on guard and trying to protect herself against them.

"Like this, Jarvis?" she asked and the sound of metal scraping against metal made his cringe.

"Exactly so, Ms. Sigyn. The next step would be to deposit the vegetables into the eggs and allow them to reach a simmering point," Jarvis instructed her.

"And then I would want to make a sandwhich of it using the bread?" she asked.

"Yes. There should be sufficient food there to allow the other occupants to consume as much as they desire," Jarvis said and she laughed. It was a strangely pleasant sound, uninhibited and carefree.

"I have not cooked like this for many years," she said and the tone was slightly wistful. "You are sure your creator does not mind my taking his supplies to prepare food?"

"My creator is unlikely to have _noticed_ that these supplies resided within the fridge in the first place," Jarvis said dryly. "If anything, you are saving me the trouble of having to order food for him and reminding him that he must eat once in a while."

Silence fell over the kitchen and Steve peered cautiously around the corner. Sigyn was wearing the same clothes that she had yesterday and the sleeves of her shirt were rolled up to the elbow. There was a towel over her right shoulder and food strewn across the counter like she had been up for a few hours. A knife, cutting board, and various slicings told him that she had used fresh vegetables. Cracked egg shells and an empty egg container were evidence enough of the smell he could identify as seasoned scrambled eggs.

"Good morning, Captain Rogers," Jarvis intoned so close to his ear that he jumped away from the wall. "Breakfast is nearly ready, if you are hungry. If you do not desire scrambled eggs and vegetables, then there are other items stocked should you wish to eat something. If nothing in the kitchen suits your tastes, then inform me of what you find most nutritionally beneficial to yourself and I shall endeavor to order it for tomorrow's breakfast."

Sigyn turned her head to look at him and she smiled slightly. "Captain Rogers is your name, then?" she asked.

Feeling the blood rush to his cheeks, he stepped fully out of the hall and closed the distance between him and the counter. "Ah. No. Just Steve is fine," he said, clearing his throat.

She hummed her acknowledgement and turned back to her cooking and Steve had to blink at the sheer size of the pot that she was using. "Alright. Steve it is, then," she said. "Would you like anything of what I have made?"

He hesitated and he was sure she heard the pause before he said, "Of course."

After all, if she was going to eat it, then that meant it was probably safe to eat it. Different species aside, he had seen Thor eat enough human food to know they probably processed food like humans. Besides, isolating her when it looked like she was simply trying to be kind wasn't something he wanted to intentionally do. Since she had made the first gesture of friendship, he found it easier to accept it than to try and hold onto his suspicions.

* * *

When Tony emerged from his rooms around noon, he was still half asleep and groggy from the four hours he had actually managed to grab. Pulling an all-nighter in the lab had sounded like a good plan, had _looked _like a good plan, and even tasted like a good plan until Jarvis reminded him that he'd been working on the suit for three days and that he hadn't even remembered to sleep before the contractor arrived. Hell, he would have worked through another day if Jarvis hadn't threatened to taser him and call Pepper back from the conference.

Underhanded. That's what those tactics were called. Unfair, dirty tactics, but even Tony was willing to admit by that point he had been working cross-eyed. So maybe his AI had been in the right, not that he would admit that point to Jarvis.

His feet led him automatically towards the kitchen where he could _smell_ the coffee brewing. There were voices as well and the occasional clatter of dishes as someone moved around the space where the ambrosia liquid was waiting for him. Wait…Pepper was away and…right. Guests. Tony barely grunted at the other occupants of the kitchen as he made a direct beeline for the coffee pot and poured himself his first mug of the day.

* * *

Sigyn was slightly amused to notice that Anthony was near oblivious to her presence as he sipped gratefully at the brown liquid. She had tried the very concoction earlier that morning, but immediately spit it back into the cup. Still, she continued on with cleaning the dishes that she had used that morning as well as the plates and utensils that the rest of Anthony's team had used.

The Hawk had been especially tense around her, not that she had minded in the least, and his lady friend, Nat she vaguely recalled him calling her, had been very…strange towards her. The woman had barely spoken three words to her and already there was a sort of apprehension building between them. Steve had been awkward in his pauses and the length of time it took him to choose his words, but he had at least been trying. Anthony and Jarvis, at least, were as uninhibited around her as they could be and if Anthony's current state was anything to judge by then he really didn't mind her presence at all. And Thor, bless him, had entered the room with his usual loud announcement that he was hungry before he proceeded to devour everything in sight, except the two sandwiches which she had stashed in the fridge for Anthony at Jarvis' request.

Her gaze slid to her brother-in-law again where he sat in the common area, apparently engaging with Jarvis in some sort of verbal word play. She couldn't hear half of what they were saying, but just Thor's grand gesticulations and amused expression told her enough. The Hawk and Nat were with him and she wasn't sure, but she thought that Steve had perhaps left for the area designated as a "gym."

Pulling her hands from the soapy water, she rinsed off the final pan and asked, "Jarvis, where does this go?"

"Left hand corner cabinet, all the way in the back," Jarvis said.

She was impressed that anyone, even someone that was disembodied, could split their attention in such a manner. Making a mental note to ask several questions later, she put the pan away and turned to find Anthony staring incredulously at her. He had in his hands another mug of coffee, but he seemed to have mostly forgotten it.

"Good afternoon, Anthony," she said, pulling the plug to the sink and drying her hands off. "Jarvis wished me to inform you that there is food in the fridge for you." She paused. "What _is_ a fridge and how is it supposed to work? I understand the function well enough, but the device seems to be attached to the wall and the name is unfamiliar."

"It…uh…You cooked?" he asked, apparently sorting through his thoughts.

"Several hours ago. The last of it is in the fridge. Jarvis was very insistent that you actually eat something. He said it would be good for you to get several decent meals into your system before you pulled a repeat performance," she said, gesturing to the device in question.

"Right," he said, eyeing the fridge and wondering if Jarvis had enlisted Sigyn as a permanent part of the 'Get Tony to eat something' plan his AI was so fond of. "Well, since you have questions, want to trade answers? I promise I'll even eat most of what you put in front of me." He grinned, but she only looked wary.

There was a moment of silence that stretched between them. "You may ask what you wish, but I reserve the right to refuse to answer. In exchange for that, you may refuse to answer what seems too…personal or vital as you see fit," she offered. He nodded and leaned against the counter.

* * *

Thor wasn't surprised to glance from his conversation to see that Tony and Sigyn had become engaged in their own conversation. Magic and technology, after all, were about the manipulation of energy through different means and the two of them were more than proficient in their own arts. That didn't mean he was eager to get pulled into such a conversation. Turning his head back to the conversation at hand with the Hawk and the Lady Natasha. Their interest in the spells that Loki had used upon the Hawk was understandable, especially when Sigyn was able to use magic in her own right.

Jarvis occasionally asked a question as he explained the difference between permanent spells and temporary spells. "It is in the intention of the spellcaster whether or not they intend to keep the object or person bound to them or else a matter of how long the spell is to last. One does not leave a spell open ended without consequences," Thor concluded, suddenly glad he had actually listened to his mother so long ago.

"So," Natasha said slowly. "You can make a spell permanent by ensuring that it has a sufficient power supply, such as the individual's own life force, but if you wish it to be temporary then you charge it with a certain amount of power."

"That is correct," Thor confirmed.

The Hawk rose to his feet and took a step back from them, his eyes momentarily darting to where Sigyn and Tony were conversing quietly. "And you really think she's harmless to us?"

Thor frowned at that, reviewing his memories of he knew of her. "If she had meant you harm, Hawkeye, she would have already attacked you. With or without magic, both she and Loki are formidable opponents, if a little weaker than most other Asiers."

The answer seemed enough to sate both their curiosities before the Lady Natasha nodded and they retreated from his presence. As they stepped into the elevator, he heard them asking Jarvis to direct them towards the gym.

He knew his comrades wouldn't completely trust her for a long while yet, but it was to be expected. With everything that their realm had suffered since Loki had been banished, they would need time to heal the wounds that had been created and he could only hope that Sigyn could help that process along somehow.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: I tried for humor and got…this. Seriously? I should stay away from attempts at humor if this is the result.

Anyways, sorry for the delay. Enjoy.

* * *

Heimdall found his attention waning as he watched the fallen prince of Asgard craft and weave the same meticulous spells again and again. As far as he could discern, Loki was carving out a pocket of habitable land on a planet that played host to none save the fire and rock and darkness that made up its surface. To what purpose, he could not tell. All that he understood of Loki's situation was that the spells were delicate and required enormous concentration.

Again, he found himself being drawn back to Sigyn as she adjusted to life on Midgard. Time had passed since she had arrived among Thor's human friends. How much, he was not certain, but it had been enough time that she was beginning to show signs of frustration as she eased into a routine among the humans. Though her body had steadily recovered from her ordeal, he had yet to see her display any signs of the innate magic that she had been so fond of during her time amongst the Aseir. Several times, he had witnessed her make a casual gesture and seen the frustration that tensed her body. He couldn't hear what she said to the human, Anthony Stark, during those times the man witnessed such gestures, but he could gather from her animated gesticulations that she was trying to explain what she had attempted to do.

Save for the most basic of protections and healing spells, her magic was absent from her.

* * *

The sun was just starting to filter through the floor length windows as Sigyn found herself pulling dishes from the familiar cupboards yet again. Breakfast was probably her favorite meal of the day with the other Avengers as they wandered from their bedrooms, still a little sleep hazed, to pick over what she had made. Over the five days she had been with them, they had developed their own little pattern. In the mornings, Clint and Natasha would come out together, pick up the egg sandwiches she made for them, and then disappear into the living room to watch the news. Clint still regarded her with suspicion, but it was Natasha's hostile glances that had truly lost their edge. Steve would be up long before them, but he would find his way to the kitchen from the direction of the elevator-Jarvis had tried to convince her it was safe, but she still preferred the stairs and shuddered when Steve was spit out from the sliding mouth-likely having just finished with his morning workout. He was rather fond of the way that she made "French toast" and she was more than pleased to supply him with a third helping as he leaned against the counter and told her about the "modern world and all its differences" from the time he remembered. She could almost understand the wistful tone his voice took when he was reminiscing. Thor, bless him, was unintelligible until he'd consumed three cups of coffee, six poptarts, and a small mountain of eggs, toast, ham, and sausage. It reminded her a little of Asgard and made her remember days that had been less painful and almost fond in the distance of memory. Anthony was almost the same, but since she had come to be among them he had only made it to breakfast once more since the first morning. She was almost certain he ate the food she left for him in the refrigerator, but she had a sneaking suspicion that Thor had devoured the plate she had made for the scientist the day before.

They were an odd group, but they functioned together like a strange kind of family and she couldn't help but feel at least a little fond of the warriors that also served as her jailors. At the very least, she could say they had not attempted to kill her more than once since moving in. That, in her opinion, put them miles above the guards, nobles, and servants that had served Odin.

That day, however, found her mood soured and the preparing of the food a silent ordeal. Jarvis must have noted the lack of her usual humming when he asked, "Is there something amiss, Ms. Sigyn?"

She looked up at the ceiling as she set aside the food to wash her hands. Drying them, she chose her words carefully. The nightmares were not something that she had ever really spoken of, not even to Loki. "Old scars," she said noncommittally.

"Of course," Jarvis returned and said nothing more.

Silence stretched as she fell into the familiar routine of mixing the eggs and the batter for the pancakes. For once, Jarvis didn't make suggestions in the spices or the measurements of the vegetables to be added at any point during the cooking. That only made it worse as the images seeped into the waking moments.

_The blackness of never ending night. The lonely howl and shuddering form of the giant wolf. A beacon of white against the darkness that drew her, always drew her._

Her heart jumped at the memory, but it wasn't the Abyss for which she had been trapped in. These were older and so much more painful. She breathed, in and out, the old pattern to control her reactions. Done with the pancake batter, she poured four circles of the mix into the pan and set the bowl aside in favor of a spatula. If her grip was tighter than usual and bent fingerprints into the metal handle, Jarvis was kind enough not to say anything. Taking another breath, she asked, "Jarvis, will you do me a favor? It's nothing to do with your Anthony."

"If it is within my capabilities, certainly," Jarvis answered after a moment.

"Can you tell me what you and your people know about the wolf, Fenrir?" she asked.

There was another of those silences she assumed meant that Jarvis was thinking the request through. Then, "Is there a particular reason that you wish this information?" and she could have laughed.

"Always, but I wish to know what knowledge you and yours have on this particular son of mine," she said, easing her fingers from the metal as she watched the cooking of the batter.

"_Your_ son, Ms. Sigyn?" Jarvis asked with a note of incredulity coloring his tone.

The corners of her mouth twitched up in a smile and the vestiges of the nightmares eased back a little more. "He's classified as Loki's son, then?"

"Shall I reclassify him as a child of you both, then?"

"No, but Loki is not Fenrir's father. The only children I ever had with my husband were Vali and Narvi. Fenrir and Hela are my children alone. Their…_sires_…are of no consequence beyond the knowledge that they are…dead…and never going to be reborn in any form," she said even as pain blossomed in her heart at the mention of her children. "Changing the mentions of who was born to whom will only confuse your people. It is better to leave them as they are."

"Would you like the myths we have concerning both of your children, then?" Jarvis asked.

She looked up, startled, and tried not sound hopeful when she asked, voice cracking, "You have myths on Hel as well as Fenrir?"

* * *

It had been a long two weeks, Pepper decided, but well worth the strain of dealing with fat, spoiled adults used to getting their way. The Arc Reactor project was progressing well and was making slow, steady progress towards convincing other companies to switch from electricity to Arc power. Hammer had been the easiest and, despite the history the man had of attempting to pirate Tony's technology, he _had_ signed an agreement explicitly detailing what he could and could not do with the technology they had sold him. Failure to comply would result in a lawsuit and at least ten years more in jail for him.

She was in a fairly good mood when Happy dropped her in front of the Tower, so she was surprised when Jarvis greeted her with, "Welcome home, Ms. Potts. You may wish to avoid the thirty-sixth floor until this evening due to the activity of the other occupants."

"_Other_ occupants?" she asked sharply.

"Have you not received any of the notices that were sent to you over the last week?" Jarvis inquired.

"Weekly maintenance would not explain why there are _other occupants_," she said, entering the lift and pressing the button for the thirty-sixth floor.

"I strongly advise against that, Ms. Potts," Jarvis said and the light for the button flicked off. "Reports were sent the moment that each occupant was moved in. It was a necessary security measure when-"

"Has Tony blown anything up, gotten drunk and hit on another ambassador's wife, or caused an international incident?" she sighed, resisting the urge to bury her face in her hands. Really, could she not leave her fiancé alone for two weeks without worrying about him being overly eccentric? Jarvis was silent for so long that she began to list off the things that Tony could have done that would have been worse than an international incident…_again_.

"The Avengers, save Dr. Banner, have moved into the Tower as part of a security measure to determine the threat level of the Asgardian, Sigyn," Jarvis said carefully. "Thus far she has proven to be cooperative to the rules lain out for her and unthreatening in her actions and intentions towards the other occupants of the Tower."

An intergalactic nightmare, then. She categorized that under the _New, must determine consequences of later_ list right before she asked, "And why can I not go to the top floor?"

"Because your presence has not been announced and I am uncertain of what her reaction to you would be," Jarvis said. "Currently, the body language she is exhibiting suggests that she would react adversely to any change in the routine that has been established over this last week. I have also alerted the other Avengers that it would be wise to be cautious around her."

Pepper was quiet for a moment as she absorbed it all. "Relate to me everything that you understand about this woman, Jarvis. Start with how she came to be here."

* * *

Sigyn stared at the windows that had been so recently installed. Their installation had been fascinating and the questions they had elicited from her had been enough to amuse even the hardiest construction worker, but those memories were far from her mind in that moment. In her hands she held a tablet that she absently ran a thumb over time and again. Behind her, the preparations for breakfast had been abandoned with the pancakes half burned on one side before Jarvis switched the stove off and the egg mix slowly separating into milk and yolk again.

She sat at the table and continued to stare out the windows to gaze upon the recovering city. The sunlight caught and reflected off the glass panes of buildings that strived to surpass Stark Tower in height and never quite reached that goal. Her eyes glanced over the tapered edges that smoothed into windows and roofs, but she didn't see them…not really.

Her mind took her back to the nightmares that had woven their way through her dreams the previous night. The darkness and distorted shapes, sensations, and gnawing hunger. The flick of a tail not quite hers and the knowledge that something was missing, out of place, where he could no longer find it. Real, but not.

There was a sound behind her, the scuff of a boot against the tiling and the edges of her lips curved up slightly. Clint. It had to be. She knew him to be a silent walker, the soles of his feet barely seeming to touch the ground. Even his Natasha was hard pressed to match his silence. That he was making his movements known meant that he was treading carefully around her for all her change in routine.

She didn't turn to him, didn't need to see him to know that he was standing near the hallway where he would encounter the least threats and quite possibly have his Natasha at his back. He was an assassin with a mark he was uncertain of, but-and her thoughts fractured again-maybe he was the only one within the Tower that would understand. Thor, for all his power with lightning, had never been held within the thrall of a spell. Clint had not only been held but had also been taken over by the magic of another.

"The first cardinal rule of magic is that what has been done can never be undone," she said softly.

There was the slightest pause between the ending of her words and the beginning of his. "Makes sense," he said gruffly. "Kinda like writing in that sense. Once the ink meets paper, it can only fade."

Sigyn looked down at the tablet in her hands and smiled bitterly. Reflected on the screen was an old drawing of a giant, white wolf whose form was slightly hunched and whose eyes seemed to glint with madness. She ran a thumb over the muzzle of the wolf and tried not to shiver at the sense-memory of what the actual fur had felt like beneath her hands. "A form taken is a form given, but with it is also given the mind of the creature. Few can resist the instincts of a new body, whatever the species."

Her gaze found his then and she felt her throat tighten when she saw only comprehension. He looked away first and cleared his throat before saying, "Stark wanted to know if you were going to start destroying the room and asked that you at least inform him what you were going to break so he could put in an order for replacement items. Thor and Steve wanted you to know that while they appreciate you making them breakfast, they don't mind getting their own food. Nat…and I…just wanted to add that…the coffee maker is off limits for tantrums."

He forced out the last of the words so quickly she almost didn't understand him. Her lips twitched into the semblance of a real smile as she chuckled weakly. "Never fear, Hawk, the coffee maker shall remain in its sacred station free of all destruction," she said and he snorted. She cleared the picture from the screen and set the tablet aside. "Would you be so kind as to let the others know that breakfast will be a little delayed?"

When he had retreated, she took a whisk and the egg mix in hand. While she stirred the mixture back into some semblance of a batter, she asked, "Jarvis?"

"Here, as always, Ms. Sigyn," he said in a voice that was too smooth.

"I apologize if my behavior disturbed you and I thank you for bringing your friends to full battle readiness. If, in the future, I exhibit signs of aggression against your creator or those you protect, act in the knowledge that I am likely an enemy at that point and hold nothing back," she said.

There was another if his pauses before he said, "Of course, Ms. Sigyn."


	10. Chapter 10

The first person that Pepper saw when she was finally allowed into her rooms again was Tony. She had to stop and blink at the sight of him, because for once he wasn't covered in oil stains or sporting burn marks across his hands or face. His clothes weren't even ripped in strange places. "Tony," she began and he smiled at her. "You're-"

"-clean," he finished for her and she smiled back. "Thought I might want to be presentable for you once the…uh…situation was cleared up."

Her smile disappeared as she studied him. "What _did_ happen? Jarvis would only say that her body language had changed from the usual. He thought she might be dangerous."

He shrugged helplessly and held his hands out before him. Pepper sighed and crossed the room to take his hands in hers and let him tug her onto the bed where they sat on the edge. Slipping an arm around her waist, he just held her. "I'm not even sure exactly _what_ happened. She was making breakfast like she had been for the last week or so, making sure everyone gets at least one balanced meal-which I blame Jarvis for, just so you know-and then she asked a question and Jarvis instructed her on how to use a tablet," he said. "I looked at some of the things that were downloaded this morning and all I saw were some myths on a couple of Loki's kids. Jarvis reported in that she was in a possibly unstable state of mind and that we would do best by avoiding the room for a while."

They lapsed into silence and stayed as they were for a long while. Finally, Pepper asked, "Why did you keep SHIELD from taking her into custody? Our lives are complicated enough without adding the wife of an insane Norse deity into the mix of our current project _and_ you…always…" her voice trailed off as her throat tightened around the words she could never bring herself to say.

Tony brushed a few strands of hair behind her ear as he said, "I know, Pep, I know." Since the missed phone call and the brush with death, he had been more attentive, more careful, and said "I love you" more, but he hadn't given up being a superhero and she hadn't asked him to choose. His hand tightened briefly around hers before he answered her question. "Their methods of extracting information are…unpalatable to me. Even if Sigyn _is_ married to Loki, that doesn't mean Fury has the divine right to do as he wishes to her."

The lines around Pepper's eyes tightened minutely before she nodded. "If you and Jarvis both say she's safe, then I'll accept that," she said. "But I still want to meet her, especially if she's going to be staying for an undefined amount of time." She paused as she considered another avenue of thought. "Have you talked to her about what she might like to do in the future? I can't imagine that she'll like being cooped up all the time. Also, how is she set for clothes?"

"Uh…" Tony began and she frowned at him before bursting into laughter.

"Just the one set, then. Don't worry about that. I'll take care of it," she said. "Will that be all, Mr. Stark?" The last was said with an amused edge coloring her voice.

A smile pulled at his lips as he said, "I believe so, Ms. Potts."

* * *

Blood trickled down her chin and dripped crimson droplets onto the floor as she staggered to her feet yet again. An uncomfortable expression crossed Thor's face as he watched Sigyn struggle to stand. Her shoulders heaved in the effort she had to make to breath. His hammer slipped in his grasp a little as he lowered his hand. "Enough, sister, training like this does not help," he said.

They had been sparring for the better part of an hour and a half and Sigyn was starting to look the worse for wear. Thor, however, looked pristine in his battle armor. Her arm was useless and her clothes had been torn in more than one place. Scratches marred the visible skin and slipped beneath the collar of her shirt. She leaned against the wall she had so recently been thrown into and smiled crookedly. "You might be right, brother," she admitted.

He took a cautious step towards her as he strapped Mjölnir to his belt. "Have you determined what you desired to understand?" he asked, extending a hand towards her.

Her fingers sought his and she let him tug her into his arms. "More or less," she sighed, feeling the world tilt as he lifted her into his arms. "The only magic available to me is a little healing and basic protection, but that does not tell me what happened to the rest of my magical strength." Her eyes became heavier with each word until her head rolled into his chest and her lids slid shut even as she tried to remain awake.

"It has only been a few days since you were freed from the Abyss. Give it time," Thor said with more confidence than she felt.

He felt the hum that vibrated through her chest and knew that she was lost to the world. Whatever her faults, he would never call her less than intelligent. Sigyn knew her strengths and she knew her limits and, usually, no one could push her beyond what she was capable of. That _she_ was pushing herself so soon after being rescued unsettled him a little. She had always the counterpoint to Loki's anarchy, the soothing balm of steady patience to unordered chaos, and that she was acting otherwise spoke ill of what had happened to her.

Shifting her gently into her bed was no issue. He lingered for only a moment to watch her curl onto her side and sigh in the contentment of sleep. Then, he retreated to let her rest.

* * *

For once, there were no nightmares, no echoes of the enchantment that tethered her son's waking mind to her dreams. When she woke, the sun had begun to peak through the curtains drawn across her windows. She stretched her arms over her head and felt her joints pop. Sighing, she kicked the covers off and grimaced at the state of her clothes.

Looking back over the previous day, she could admit to herself that the nightmares had gotten to her. The training had served both the purpose she had presented to Thor and the need to do _something_ other than heal and cook for a household of strangers. She flexed her fingers and fixed a spell in her mind, waiting for the warmth to curl through her hands and feeling only a slight disappointment when there was no response. Carding her hands through her hair, she untangled the majority of the knots before she levered herself out of the bed and through the door, feeling the twining of the latent protection spells wrap around her as she left the quarters assigned to her.

The halls were as silent as ever, devoid of the constant activity that Asgard would have seen. Natasha and Clint were already in the communal room watching the news. Clint's blue gaze flashed to her and he blinked at her appearance. "You look like hell warmed over," he commented.

"What does my daughter have to do with my look?" she asked, removing the pots from their usual places.

Clint blinked again and Natasha looked at her sidelong. "Your da-" he began.

"In current American culture, the phrase is one used to commonly suggest that you look like you have been through a rough time," Jarvis cut in smoothly.

She looked down at her clothes and noted again the dried blood that clung to the fabric. That said nothing of the scratches that had barely begun to scab over. "Ah," she said absently. "I suppose this is not the most sanitary outfit in which to cook."

Natasha made a soft sound like an amused huff at that. "At least you have the sense to recognize that difference in our cultures," she said dryly. Sigyn's gaze cooled considerably at that as she caught the Widow's eyes. The corner of her mouth twitched before she turned on her heel and left without a sound. The last thing she heard was Natasha murmuring to Clint, "She's restless."

That was the morning that she broke the pattern they had established.

* * *

Following the directions that Jarvis had given her, Pepper unlocked the door to the roof and stepped out to find the other woman she had been searching for. Pausing, she took a moment to observe the Asgardian leaning against the rail and looking down. She was more slender than expected for someone who had seen Thor, but it wasn't totally outside the realm of possibility that Asgardian females were a little like human females in looks. Dark hair that trailed to her strong shoulders looked well kept. Beyond that, Pepper didn't know what to expect of their…houseguest.

Without turning, Sigyn said, "You are a new inhabitant. An Avenger as well or a different kind of jailer?"

Pepper blinked a little at that. Of all the first things she had expected to say, "_Jailer?_" wasn't one of them.

That time, Sigyn did turn to look at her, a restrained kind of curiosity and amusement flitting through her narrowed, green eyes and making her lips quirk a little. "What else would you have me call this…_arrangement?_" she asked, pulling back from the railing to turn and face her. "I cannot leave without your SHIELD following me, nor can I can I return to whence I came without serious repercussions visited upon those I love."

As she studied the other woman, she felt no echoes of amusement. It was then, she could admit later, that she realized Sigyn-the woman herself, not Loki's wife-_could_ be dangerous. The way she moved was too smooth, too _controlled_ to be anything less than calculated. Warrior, sorceress, and woman wrapped into a thousand year old-perhaps even older than that-body with all the experience to go along with it made her something of a frightening combination when one considered her level of intelligence, but…

And she smiled, _had_ to smile, because no matter what self-proclaimed deity stood before her, it still wasn't enough to make her tremble or fill her with the desire to fall to her knees and proclaim undying devotion. If Thor and Loki could bleed, then so, too, could this woman. "I may not be a jailor, but if you hurt Tony-in _any_ way-I swear by all the realities this universe holds, I will find a way to make you pay for it. Powerful and enshrined in myth you might be, you don't scare me."

After a long moment, the threat earned her an unexpected response. Sigyn's body language relaxed a little and her lips lifted in a true, crooked smile. Her muscles uncoiled from the tenseness they had held and she moved in a circle around Pepper, who never once lost eye contact. Then, Sigyn laughed as she came back to her original position. "Somehow, I believe you," she admitted slowly and Pepper returned the smile.

With the necessary understandings made, Pepper nodded at the other woman's attire and said, "Tony forgets the small things in life, sometimes. I took the liberty to order in a few new things for you. They'll be in by tonight. Just let Jarvis know if anything doesn't suit your taste and I'll adjust it accordingly."


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: I had this private goal of reaching more views on this story than one of my other stories and I have accomplished that! So, in thanks to those that made it possible I am generating a longer than normal update. Thank you to all my readers that have been with me this long!

Took another look at the rating guide and had to bump the rating of the story up one level.

* * *

It was exactly seven days after Sigyn had arrived that Bruce Banner appeared on Tony's doorstep, slightly bloody and more than a little drugged. With Pepper out of the building, Tony holed up in his lab, and Thor, Steve, Clint, and Natasha being unqualified to handle a potential Hulk out-in Jarvis' opinion-that left Sigyn to contain the situation.

"Ms. Sigyn, I require your assistance," he said and she looked up at the ceiling, pausing in the slicing of the vegetables she was handling.

"Have Thor and Steve demolished another set of sand bags meant for punching? They were not testing the integrity of the wall, were they?" she asked suspiciously. She laid the knife aside and dried her hands on a towel. "What happened?"

"It is not the current occupants that I require assistance with. The final Avenger has been…_deposited_…outside the tower and, in his current state, I do not suggest leaving him out in the elements," Jarvis said and her eyes flashed like she heard a note of annoyance flickering through his tone.

Her entire demeanor changed under Jarvis' watchful gaze. Where she had been relaxed before, her muscles coiled with a kind of energy he saw in his creator before a battle. Instead of heading for the stairs as she usually would, she stepped into the elevator when Jarvis opened it for her. "Is he injured? Can you run a diagnostic scan on his vitals and tell me what substances are potentially running through his body?" she asked, rolling up her sleeves.

If he had been human, he would have blinked in surprise at the sudden shift in demeanor. The only sign of her discomfort for being in the elevator was the flexing of her fingers into a fist again and again. In his silence, Sigyn asked her questions again, to which he responded, "I am unable to do a scan outside of the tower. The outdoor systems allow only for security monitoring and facial recognition."

Her gaze was curiously blank as she glanced again at the ceiling. "I see. What can you tell me, then?"

"Dr. Banner is exhibiting signs of being drugged. His pupils appear to be dilated and he has not moved since a man left him outside the building." He paused before adding, "There is a forty percent chance that the man was not a SHIELD agent and that this is an attempt on the Avengers."

Sigyn hummed her acknowledgement as she appeared to process everything. "Will you ask your creator to allow me access to the medical level? As well, alert the staff that there is a potential gas leak and evacuate the tower and surrounding buildings." She paused and glanced at the ceiling. "I will need Natasha and Clint to keep their distance. Tony should be safe in his lab, but I will need Steve and Thor should a situation occur."

* * *

The last thing he had been aware of after the SHIELD agents collected him had been the sting of…_something…_puncturing the skin on his neck. Then, the pain and dark hair and green eyes and lilting laugh and no green before darkness had taken him again. Now, he rose to consciousness through the murky feeling of drugged sleep. The first thing he was aware of was cool fingers on his wrist and a soft voice saying, "-steady. He should be fine."

"What was it?" someone-male and familiar, he identified-asked.

"A sedative that is produced only by magical means and not easily obtained by humans," the female replied and he had to control his breathing as he placed it.

Amongst the _pain_ and the flashes of hair and eyes had been whispered words, words that ended with the lilting laugh. "_You'll do, pet. You'll do nicely._"

The fingers touched his wrist again and he jerked away, eyes opening as something instinctive grabbed at him and wrapped protectively around him. The woman-dark hair, wide green eyes, the white column of her throat-was all he saw and it was enough to send him over. Red darkened the world before his eyes and green boiled beneath his skin, splitting and taking form.

From there, it was flashes of scent-_almond_-sounds-_short scream cut off_-sensation-_small hands scrabbling against wrist_-and _smash._ When it was done, when the Hulk retreated to the depths of their subconscious, and he was left standing naked amidst the wreckage, the woman was still before him-albeit bloodied and clothes torn and scratches and gashes marring her visible skin, but there nonetheless-but now cradled by Thor with Steve hovering between the two of three of them. Thor had his hammer held loosely before him like he was expecting another blind attack.

Steve was looking between them like he was uncertain as to what to do. The woman coughed and spat blood onto the floor before struggling out of Thor's grip to stand in front of the Asgardian warrior. "Dr. Banner, I do believe _proper_ introductions are in order," she said coolly and he felt cool fear shoot through his stomach. He took a step back, but she looked to the ceiling and asked, "The security protocols are still in effect, correct Jarvis? We are locked in this room until Anthony releases us, yes?"

_Jarvis _and _Anthony_ registered through the fog that still clung to his mind and he felt the Hulk settle a little further back into their subconscious. Tony and Jarvis were safe. Safe meant friends and friends meant Avengers. Avengers meant being able to _fight _and to fight meant safety. "That is correct, Ms. Sigyn," Jarvis replied. "As long as Dr. Banner remains calm over a period of sixty minutes and does not destroy any more equipment, I am authorized to release him. For you and the others, all you need do is ask." The AI paused and then asked, "May I enquire as to what the substance you were referring to was?"

"So far as I can _tell_, it was a Sun Stone. Such stones render the victim senseless and delirious for days," she said, eyes flickering over him. "Dr. Banner seems to have avoided the majority of bodily damage that usually accompanies use of the Stones."

Thor looked startled. "The Sun Stones are exceedingly rare," he said, finally settling Mjölnir onto his belt again. "The last I heard of them, Amora had stolen them from father's vaults and…" he trailed off and gave the woman a significant look.

She looked at him again and held her hands before her, a gesture of surrender that Bruce eyed warily. "Jarvis indicated that you were…deposited by a single individual. Do you remember anything from before waking here?" she asked.

He had to swallow twice before he could force his dry throat to work. "I remember you," Bruce said and Steve frowned, glancing at her. Thor tensed and took a step towards the woman, moving to stand between her and them as Steve positioned himself closer to Bruce and the woman simply looked chagrined.

Before anyone could ask, Jarvis spoke. "I can confirm that Ms. Sigyn has not left the premise in exactly one hundred and sixty eight hours. Scans performed every three hours indicate that she does not possess the current level of power to duplicate herself as supervillain Loki Laufeysonis able to. As such, she has exhibited no hostile intentions towards any of the occupants of this tower despite the hostility that has been expressed towards her."

_That_ startled Steve into looking at the ceiling and Sigyn simply looked more chagrined. "I hadn't told them about the incident, Jarvis," she said.

"Duly noted, Ms. Sigyn," he replied.

"Friend Bruce," Thor said after giving Sigyn a sidelong look. "Will you rest for a while and tell us what has happened to you when you are able. You are safe here. Sigyn bears you no ill will. Do you, sister?"

"No, but I don't think that's going to sink in while the residual effects of the Sun Stone are still present in his system. Perhaps it would be best if I were to leave him to your care, brother?" she asked, eyes flicking over Thor's face. Before he could answer, she turned to Steve and continued, "If the good Captain will accompany me, I can speak with the other Avengers and bring them…what was the term?..._ah_…I can bring them up to speed on what has happened and who Amora is."

She didn't wait for them to answer before she was striding towards the door and slipping through. Steve, looking a little lost, followed after her, but glanced at Thor just before leaving to say, "Dr. Banner is one of my Avengers. See that no harm comes to him."

The last thing Steve heard was, "You have a _sister?_"

* * *

Sigyn ignored the suspicious looks that Clint and Natasha were favoring her with from their places on the couch. Tony simply fiddled with a tablet that lay on the table in front of him. "He remembers _you_ and you're saying that this…_someone_…could be an Enchantress by the name of Amora and that she can shapeshift into different people," Clint said slowly.

"Not shapeshift," Sigyn repeated with a sigh. "Her abilities are not quite that sophisticated. As far as I know, Loki is the only sorcerer who can truly shapeshift. No. What she does is adopt a glamor of someone whose form is one that she is familiar with and that tricks the senses into accepting that she really is that person." She hesitated and turned her head away before adding, "It would not be the first time she has borrowed my shape."

Out of the corner or her eye, she saw Clint's expression freeze and witnessed the slow dawning of understanding before the color drained from his face. "That's…ah…what you meant when I…uh…" he started.

"_Yes_," she said harshly and he shut up.

"Magic detector!" Tony said suddenly, breaking the tension before it had even settled. Seeing the curious gazes on him, he elaborated, "With everything that's been going on lately-Loki popping in, Sigyn's hocus pocus, and Bruce being _magically_ kidnapped-Jarvis needs a setting that can determine the frequency of energy emitted by friendly and hostile casters that will allow us to determine who is who."

Steve just looked puzzled and Sigyn chuckled as she explained, "Unlike your electricity which mimics some of the things we can do, magic is unique to the caster. I do not cast the same way that Amora does and Loki casts differently than I do. He wants to give Jarvis the ability to determine who is who based on the kind of magic that we use."

His expression cleared. "Ah. Thank you."

"That's what I just said," Tony muttered.

"Not in English, Tony," Steve muttered back.

Natasha simply shook her head at the diversion in conversation while she directed her attention to the ceiling and asked, "Jarvis, can you give us a visual on the individual that deposited Dr. Banner?"

Jarvis didn't respond, but the TV flicked on to reveal the image of a man bent double over a prone figure in what they all recognized as one of the entrances to Stark Tower. Tony grimaced at the reminder of the security breach as well as the predicament of someone he considered a friend. He said something to Jarvis, but Sigyn didn't catch what it was as she studied the image and felt her heart rate pick up. The width of his shoulders, the tattoos that adorned his head, the size of his skull, and the length of his spine were familiar-_too_ familiar. "Did you get a clear image of his face, Jarvis?" she asked, leaning her weight against the table as it became harder to breath.

The image shifted and she recoiled, her world narrowing to the moment and the memory it triggered. Heart hammering in her chest, she breathed, voice catching on the word, "_Skurge_," and had to place her hands on the table before her to steady herself. The screen went blank and she blinked to clear her vision. She was aware of Clint's eyes on her and the weight of Tony's gaze. She realized she had stopped breathing a few moments prior and forced herself the take a deep breath and straighten. There was a coiled tension to her body that made Natasha watch her uneasily.

"Talk to us about how potentially dangerous this fellow is and his connection to Amora," Tony said. "You haven't told us what Amora can do, either, on her own."

She grabbed for the conversation like a lifeline and said, "Amora, on her own, is a strong Enchantress and, on her good days, she can be a pain for me to handle, but not impossible. She is best with spells that alter the senses, seduce, and muddle the mind, but when she has a..._companion_…then it is best to deal with that individual first. Amora has never seduced a male that is not astoundingly powerful and useful to her. Skurge is…" she trailed off and her eyes flitted back to the screen. "Skurge makes it difficult for both Loki and I to handle her, especially if she steps into insanity."

"'Steps into insanity,'" Steve repeated. "Is that one of those modern sayings I don't understand?"

Sigyn smiled weakly at the Captain as she shook her head. "It is meant to be very literal. Her grasp on sanity is looser than a whore's chastity belt and that is where she draws her strength from. The further she slips from reality, the more dangerous she becomes."

"Tell us about Skurge," Natasha said and Sigyn tensed. "What's the connection between the three of you?"

Her green eyes darkened as she favored Natasha with a look. The Spider was probing for information, looking for a weakness that could be exploited later. Well, in that case…let her process the truth and make of it what she would.

"I have a daughter by Skurge, Hela, but she was not a child conceived willingly. Amora ensnared my mind and held me hostage against my husband for an artifact. When that did not work out as expected, she…I was impregnated and then released. I believe she had hoped to ruin my marriage with the act and the resulting child, but it did not." Her eyes returned to the screen and, though she didn't know it, her gaze and features had hardened with memory. "Loki did not abandon me, but that did not stop Odin from sealing my girl into an alternate dimension where the dead reside _for her own safety_.

"Skurge was supposed to have been taken out of the cycle of rebirth, but he's alive and here and on Earth. So, that means Odin lied…_again_. Big surprise, that," she said and couldn't help the bitterness that flavored her voice. "_That_ is what you seek, Spider, is it not?" she asked, leaning in Natasha's direction. "The knowledge of what you can use against me in battle at a later date? Well, give it up as a bad idea. You cannot _touch_ the children I have left. One is a wolf that will sooner maim and _eat_ you than let you touch him. His mind is that of an animal's, courtesy of _Odin_. My girl is beyond my reach, beyond the reach of any _mere mortal_ no matter how different from your kind you might be. The horrors you think you can dream up for me are _nothing_ compared to the reality which I have lived with for more than a thousand years. The _only_ person you might be able to use against me is _Loki_ and look how well trying to contain him turned out for you _last_ time.

"Skurge and Amora are here, on _Earth_. For what ends, I cannot fathom, but if her capture of Dr. Banner is anything to go by then she knows who you are and what you are capable of. So, tell me, little _Spider_, what is it that you fear? Because she most certainly already knows and will not shy from using it against you," she finished, breathing hard.

Tony eyed her speculatively and continued tapping absently at the tablet that he still held. There was a noise-like the clearing of a throat-and everyone looked up to see Bruce and Thor. Thor was staring at Sigyn like seeing her for the first time and she turned her head to hide her face from him. Bruce, though, was studying her curiously as he cleaned the glasses Jarvis had provided for him with the sleeve of his new shirt. "Well, that pretty well clears the air on that. As far as I can trust my memory, the one that caught me wasn't prone to…ah…levels of emotion like that and I would say that your reaction to her companion was a genuine one. I'd apologize for the damage that the Hulk did, but you seem none the worse for encounter," he said and she smiled only a little.

Tony held out the tablet to his friend and lab partner with a grimace. "SHIELD has no files on collecting you or even sending agents to collect you," he said and Bruce took the tablet to look at the files Tony was offering him. "Those are the last records they have of you, which makes no sense as they seem to have been updating the records daily since the invasion. Even more curious about this is that Fury seemed convinced all of you would be here within the week."

Bruce flipped through screen and then handed it back. "Their files are not only incomplete, but they also seem to have been compromised. I was collected by a set of three agents about five days ago right before the moment where I would stop trusting my memory. The date on that record is wrong."

Steve rose from his place on the couch and reached a hand for the tablet, which Tony relinquished easily. The Captain didn't ask about Tony hacking the classified files. He knew better than that by now and trusted Tony enough to know anything that was discovered wouldn't end up in the news within the next hour. "If I might borrow this, I'll go into SHIELD and have a chat with Director Fury."

"One of us shall accompany you," Thor said, his gaze finally sliding from Sigyn. "If Amora has changed your files, then it is likely that she has eyes in your SHIELD itself. Extra protection shall not go amiss with regards to this particular foe."

"Well, I'm going to requisition Bruce and Sigyn-with their permission-and get to creating a device that can tell the difference between friendly casters and hostiles," Tony said, glancing at the two in question. Bruce nodded, though he was careful not to look at Sigyn.

Sigyn smiled fondly at Tony and laughed. "You will have my help in this endeavor, Anthony," she said. "Within the limits of my understanding and ability to contribute, I will do what I can."

"Nat and I can go with you, Captain," Clint said. "It might be a good idea for us to all have a chat with Fury and clear the air on a few things."

Steve glanced at Tony who had bent his head towards Bruce to engage the man in quiet conversation. Bruce's gaze seemed to occasionally flick towards Sigyn and he still seemed a little ill at ease, but so had everyone else when they had first met her. Thor seemed content to engage his sister in brief conversation about something he was sure he wanted to nothing of and that settled some part of his mind with regards to a topic he wasn't sure he had a right to understand about her. Clint and Natasha were waiting for him and, so too, was this duty. They had to find out how far this breach went.

* * *

After a day spent in the company of the two scientists, her head was crammed full of knowledge that she had not previously possessed and terms that she was still digesting. A new set of clothes from the wardrobe Pepper had ordered for her were sitting on the edge of the bed and she was taking a shower with the steam rising over her head. Her hands were pressed flat to the wall as she let the warmth of the water soothe the knots from her muscles and contemplated all that had occurred that day.

When her skin began to prune, she washed her hair and rinsed the soap from her face before shutting the water off entirely. The towel was soft as she sponged water off of her body and wrapped it around her. She was just beginning to dry the mirror off of the fog when someone knocked at her door…her _bathroom_ door. Her hands froze in their movements.

_Rap-rap-rap-_pause and her heart picked up-_smack._ The sound of a palm slapping against the wood of the door. Her breath caught in her throat as she yanked the door open and Loki's green and gold frame filled the doorway. She squashed the first impulse to jump at him as she recalled _Skurge_ and _Amora._ "That fates of our children?" she asked.

He smiled a sad sort of smile, his lips curving only slightly. The familiarity of the gesture made her take a step forward. "Narvi and Vali reside with Hela, taken out of the cycle of rebirth until Odin has passed. Hela rules the dimension of the dead and Fenrir enjoys nothing better than to howl at the passing of the full moon," he said gently, taking a step towards her.

There was barely an inch of space between them and her eyes devoured every detail of his features hungrily. Startling blue eyes, high cheek bones, lips thinning into an amused smile at her continued silence. His skin still had a pale quality to it, but he no longer looked as unhealthy as she remembered. "Clone or illusion?" she asked, raising a hand to almost touch his face.

He pressed his hand to hers and brought it to his cheek. "Neither?" he offered and her resistance crumbled.

Her free arm curled around his waist as he closed the distance between them to bring her flush against him. She rose onto her toes to kiss him. She was glad, in that moment, that he had forgone the armor in favor of something a little more comfortable as she became aware of every inch of her body molding to fit against his. His hand slid to her hair as his other splayed against the middle of her back. The fingers in her hair tightened and tugged her head back, exposing her neck, and his lips drifted down the white expanse of skin revealed to him.

With her senses scattered and heart pounding in her ears, she managed, "Not…good idea. Questions…"

His eyes flicked to hers, amusement written into every line of his face and the curve of his lips. "Can they not wait, love?" he asked, breath still hot against her skin.

"Sure," she managed and was lost with him.

* * *

When she woke the next morning, she sighed and curled lazily into the form beside her. She nuzzled her chin into the crook of his neck and tucked her foot beneath his calf before she was finally awake enough to recall the events of the night and had to smile against his skin as she tucked her head beneath his chin. Loki's fingers drifted lazily down her spine and she felt, more than heard, him chuckle. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you missed me," she said, tone both musing and a little teasing.

He hummed and threaded his fingers through her hair, combing out the strands and tucking them back behind her ear. "Perhaps I was just bored," he offered and she just laughed.

"If you were bored, you'd have left your plans to make mischief somewhere else," she pointed out. "Not come to see me."

"True," he conceded.

She blinked and looked up at the ceiling, suddenly realizing something. "Jarvis?" she called.

"The machine's ability to see and hear what transpires in your room, for the moment, has been disabled. If they cared enough to look at the files, they would see only that you sleep," Loki said, but she pulled away from him slightly and frowned.

"Machines are inanimate objects that perform a single function. Jarvis is no such thing," she said.

"Perhaps not to you, love, but at his core, he is machine," Loki said, smiling apologetically. "A very advanced machine, but one nonetheless."

Her frown deepened, but she filed it away as something to ask about later. For the moment, Loki was with her, but that wasn't going to last and there were other things that she wanted to ask. "Are you siphoning my magic?" she asked, settling herself on his chest again. By the way he tensed beneath her and the way his eyes searched her face, she had her answer. "I noticed, love, believe me I did. I won't ask what you're up to. You've never made ill use of me or led me down a path I would not have followed, anyway. But I must ask that you let up a little on the siphoning in case I have real need to defend myself beyond the latent spells already woven into my skin."

She could feel when he started tracing the still healing scratches and bruised. He didn't ask and she offered nothing. "Of course. I can release one or two of the lesser spells to allow you more access to your own magic without damaging anything," he murmured.

He paused and she saw the question in his eyes, felt the words that he did not know how to ask in the tensing of his muscles. She touched his cheek and felt him lean ever so slightly into it. "You are my Loki in whatever form you choose. Blood is of no consequence and neither is gender. You know that," she said softly.

Loki shifted and she sat back on her heels to allow him to sit up, her hands still resting on his shoulders. He pressed a soft kiss to her forehead and gently disengaged himself from her. "I do…know that, Sigyn. It doesn't stop me from wondering, from time to time," he admitted as he rose from the bed.

She smiled. "And every time you wonder, all you need do is ask to receive the same answer, love."

His gaze was narrowed and amused when he glanced at her just before his armor shimmered into existence. "Lovely as this has been, I _did_ come with a warning," he said. "Look closely after Thor's human woman."

"Amora?" Sigyn guessed with a sigh. "Yes. She dropped a little…ah…_gift_ off yesterday by way of saying hello."

"Another reason you wish more access to your magic?" he asked, looking a little guilty.

She rose from the bed as well and threaded her fingers through his loose hair. "You have always had my permission to siphon what was needed for your plans, but I _do_ need a certain amount in order to do what is necessary. Just see to it that you release those spells by the days end and I will be able to determine whether or not there are any residual _gifts_ waiting in store."

He captured her mouth in one last kiss before he grinned and said, "Done, then," and faded from her room.

As with all their partings, she sighed and turned to pick up the cadence of her life once more.


	12. Chapter 12

Tony was eyeing her suspiciously as she explained the warning that Loki had delivered, nonspecific though it had been. Thor looked suitably uncomfortable and torn between retrieving Jane _now_ and leaving Sigyn by herself with Tony and Bruce. Steve, Clint, and Natasha had been held up at SHIELD and thus weren't present with them. Bruce, for his part, was occupying himself with a tablet and resolutely _not_ looking at Sigyn. He had done much the same the previous night and had avoided Hulking out again in her presence.

"Soooo," Tony drawled and she had to smile at the suspicious tone. "Loki _magiced_ this message to you and none of Jarvis' sensors were set off?"

"That is correct," she said and grinned when that only served to deepen his frown. Tony might have been a genius among humans and disliked the ease with which magic disregarded their rules, but Loki was a master sorcerer and was more than capable of working his way around safeguards. She was willingto help them build a device that would allow them to detect Amora and magic within the vicinity, but she would _not_ help them to tweak it to capture magic-as Tony had tried to convince her the previous night. Being able to detect an enemy was only fair, but rendering a sorcerer powerless was not something she would lend herself to-not if it meant potentially hurting Loki. "If it makes you feel better, Amora has never been able to fool Heimdall and I doubt she has any grasp of what electronics are."

"The Captain, Hawk, and Widow shall return shortly, yes?" Thor asked, shifting uncomfortably.

She waved a hand at her brother and said, "Go, Thor. Some of my magic will return by days end. Yesterday's introductions shall not be repeated. Amora cannot be allowed to hurt those we care for further. This is more important than the off chance that Dr. Banner will lose control again."

He nodded, relief flickering through his eyes. "Then it is well. I shall return by days end with her."

Sigyn glanced at him sidelong, amusement curling her lips. "You will need to let her pack and if there are others that she cares for, bring them with. Amora will not hesitate to capture them and use them to draw her out and, in turn, you. You may be longer than a day, brother."

"I can make arrangements for Dr. Selvig and Darcy, Pointbreak," Tony said, snagging the tablet from Bruce, who gave his fellow scientist an amused look. "Clothes and equipment are no issue. I'll send someone to gather anything that Dr. Foster thinks she'll need and we can go from there. Just get her and get back since we have no idea what this Amora is up to."

She wandered to the side of the couch and leaned over the edge to see what he was doing and was immediately confused by the pictures, numbers, and symbols. "Do I wish to ask?" she inquired and saw his lips quirk.

"Not really, princess, not really. It's kinda boring, but what I'm doing is arranging for a short notice flight between New York and New Mexico and alerting the intended individuals that their presence is required due to an unspecified emergency," he said, his fingers sliding automatically across the screen, changing the picture time and again.

Sigyn hummed even though she didn't really understand half of what he had said. Then, she glanced at Thor and saw the expression on his face. She straightened and followed him from the room. For their part, Tony and Bruce did not even seem to notice that the two Asgardians had left. "What is it, brother?" she asked softly when they were in the hall and away from human hearing.

"You know what the cause was, what was preventing your power from returning to you?" he asked carefully.

Ever aware of Jarvis' hearing, she hesitated. Then, she decided on the truth. "Loki is siphoning my magic. When he passed along the warning, I asked him to let up some and he agreed to do so by days end. I won't be at full strength while he needs my power, but I _will_ be able to defend myself should Amora attack," she assured him.

"And Skurge?" Thor asked.

And there was the heart of his concern, she realized. Being possessed and controlled by Amora had been hard enough, but what Skurge had done to her had been worse and he was worried she wouldn't be able to fight him as well as other warriors. A smile curved her lips and the look on her face became just a little feral. "If it comes to it, I will take distinct pleasure in ripping that bastard limb from limb and feeding him his fingers and his toes before I slit his throat and let him drown in his own blood," she said. "Dr. Banner, Tony, and I should be more than enough to fend them off should they attack. We are not defenseless without you, brother."

The hand that he clapped to her shoulder was warm, heavy, and reassuring. "Very well," he nodded. "I think you shall enjoy Jane's company."

* * *

Heimdall watched the events unfold with great interest. Thor had retrieved his human woman and returned to their base and by that time their three missing companions had returned and been informed of Loki's warning. Anthony Stark's woman had returned to find another guest and two more on their way. To his surprise, she didn't question what had happened, but merely traded glances with Sigyn.

For a moment, his gaze slid to Loki and lingered there. The planet, for the most part, was still inhospitable, but the area that the fallen prince was working on was beginning to take shape. The land had taken a solid shape beneath his feet and there was an area within the atmosphere that was breathable without the continued renewal of certain spells. If he squinted, he could almost make out the shimmer of barriers that had been erected against the hostile environment of the rest of the planet. At the moment, Loki was peering intently at the ground like he was expecting something to happen. Content that the second prince was occupied and wouldn't vanish as he had done the night before, Heimdall turned his attention back to Thor and his companions as they gathered again to agree on a plan of action.

It looked as though their conversation drew itself out late into their night. By the time that they had finally agreed upon something, Sigyn was nodding off sitting beside Thor and Thor looked no better than she as he struggled to stay awake. For the most part, it was the humans that argued amongst themselves and it was between Anthony Stark and Natasha Romanov that the most heated debate ran. That, however, changed when Sigyn seemingly uncoiled herself from her seated position and stalked towards the female assassin. Thor lurched to his feet after her, but she danced from his grasp until she was within striking distance of the woman.

* * *

"-and for all we know, the little bitch could be spreading her legs for Skurge _and_ Amora!" Natasha snarled back at Tony. "The only thing we have to go on for this is _her word-_" Sigyn's hand came down sharply across her face, snapping her neck to the side and making her cheek sting. Natasha blinked hard and turned her head back to glare at the shorter woman.

Cool, glittering green eyes caught hers and Natasha felt her stomach drop at the realization that she _might_ have pushed things _too far._ Prodding at wounds that had been revealed to them with great reluctance, pushing to see how far Sigyn _could_ be pushed had been her orders, but there was always a line and that line had, apparently, been found. They had reached the "now or never" point and it was Sigyn's move.

"Have a care of the words you speak, _Spider_," Sigyn growled. "Amora and Skurge are, perhaps, two of the few individuals that I would delight in killing. Keep speaking as you do, however, and I may make another exception."

Natasha watched her draw back and walk away. When Sigyn had vanished around the corner, she allowed herself to acknowledge that the others had said nothing during the brief exchange and were even watching her with disapproving or disappointed looks. There would be words later, she knew, but she found that she cared very little for that possibility as she began detailing in her mind the argument she would make to Fury about how Sigyn was _not _a threat and thereby did not warrant the security measures that they had put into place.

It was Tony that drew them all back to the conversation at hand and, in the end, they decided that the best course of action would be to wait and to patrol the city in pairs. Fury had given them exactly nothing to work with-which had frustrated Steve and Clint to no end. Bruce could recall nothing significant and even Sigyn could not predict what the Enchantress and her pet would plan.

* * *

Afterwards, Bruce found himself cornered by Sigyn when he left the room. The look she was giving him was a speculative one and, though he had been _trying_ to avoid her, he gave her a friendly smile even as the Big Guy stirred in the back of their consciousness. "May I cast some spells over you to determine whether or not Amora has left latent magic that will activate at a later date?" she asked and he noticed just how she had positioned them with his back to the others.

Memory flashed before his eyes and he took a cautious step back, fully aware that the others were watching them. "I'm not sure that is a good idea. She used magic on me to keep the Big Guy sedated and that didn't work out so well the last time I woke up with you," he said apologetically.

A smile tugged at her mouth as she studied him. "My magic is very different from hers and I will not be casting it on _him_ so much as you. Ideally, I would be able to examine you and him, but as that is not an option it is better to seek out the latent spells and destroy them before they do you or us harm," she answered.

And that was how he found himself seated in the kitchen with a cup of tea, a plate of food, and an Asgardian standing at his side weaving her hands through odd gestures and strange words muttered under her breath. Across from him, Tony leaned against the counter with a cup of coffee in his hands and, though he couldn't see them, he knew Thor and Jane were observing the curious situation from the living room. Steve was leaning against the fridge, watching the entire process with keen interest. The scientist in him observed the movements that she made while the Hulk was fully conscious of the _feel_ of the magic slipping through him, searching and _seeking_ what traces he knew were there from his imprisonment.

She frowned as he felt her power snag at _something_ in his chest. Catching his eye, she tried to smile, but it turned into a grimace as she stepped back. "As I thought," she murmured and looked at him. "I am going to need to touch you. Is that alright?"

"Tell me what you thought it would be?" Bruce asked, sipping at his tea.

"An inactive control spell set to activate if you ever come against her in battle," she said. "I can draw it out, dismantle it, and-_if_ you like-layer in a spell that will prevent future reoccurrences. If she attempts to lay in another spell like this one and mine is active, it will simply dissipate."

"Is this a sample of her magic?" Tony asked curiously.

"More or less," Sigyn answered absently.

"And removing it will be absolutely harmless to him? No weird side effects like howling at the…ah…skylights?" he asked, apparently rethinking the saying.

She hummed at him, weaving her hands through another gesture. "Shouldn't be. The spell itself isn't attached to his heart or anything, but I _will_ need something live to transfer it to if you are going to analyze it. Preferably something that is not you and non-sentient," she added when she saw the look brightening his face.

He looked thoughtful for a moment before saying, "Jarvis, request that the eel from the third floor be sent up in its tank."

Her eyes sought his, after that, and he read the question in them before she asked. Bruce absorbed the conversation and a smile quirked his lips. Whatever his reservations, Tony trusted her enough to completely bypass the usual questions of _"Is this safe?"_ and skip directly to "_What makes this tick?" _For his part, he believed that at least Tony, if not the entire team, would look out for his best interests.

"Go ahead," he told her.

* * *

Tony pursed his lips at the dead fish where it sat on the scanner and then glanced at Sigyn, who was staring at the dead creature with a serene look. "You knew it was going to do this, didn't you?" he asked.

"Perhaps," she admitted. "Magic is, after all, one form of electricity that responds to my will rather than what your form of electrical currents do and water conducts electricity at high volumes. What I did _not_ expect was for the fish bowl to shatter and _fry_ the eel." She paused and then added, "Thor might find it appetizing tonight."

For his part, Bruce just muffled his snort of laughter into his hand. He and Sigyn exchanged an amused look while Tony continued to look disgruntled. "I didn't even get any good readings out of it," he sighed.

There was a pause until Sigyn said, "If you can make the scanner person sized, I would be willing to perform some spells so you can get a read on my energy." She hesitated before adding, "I might also be able to convince Loki to do the same, if you and your team are willing to put aside your animosity for a day. You would then be able to determine if Amora or another sorcerer is in the vicinity by process of elimination."

The look that flickered across the two scientists' faces was dubious. "We'll discuss it, but not in the next few days," Tony said and that was the end of the matter.

* * *

Exactly three days after they had made their decision, they found two new inhabitants introduced to Sigyn and moved into the Tower. Tony made a comment about how he had considered charging rent as Jane, Darcy, and Dr. Selvig claimed an entire floor and began the pain staking process of setting their lab up again. Tony, despite his reservations about their project, actually _was_ interested in the recreation of the Bifrost from their end. By the end of that first day, Tony had dragged Bruce into the discussion of what theories might be plausible.

That was also the day that Fury decided to pay the Tower a visit.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: This chapter flew off in a completely different direction than I expected it to. Hopefully, you enjoy it.

* * *

Natasha had convinced Clint to engage in a game of cards with friendly stakes, no money of course. Steve was sparring with Thor in the gym. Tony and Bruce were sequestered in Tony's lab going over a new project. Pepper had left for the day to attend to Stark Industry matters and Jane, Darcy, and Dr. Selvig were sequestered in their own lab working away. That left Sigyn, who was closest to a screen and most likely to respond, to answer the intercom when Jarvis asked her for assistance.

Wary of what "assistance" had led to the last time she was cooking something, she set her knife aside and requested a visual of the visitors. To her chagrin, it was the one eyed black man in his trench coat with three men flanking him. "Is he authorized to enter the building?" she asked.

"No. As of the last time, sir has upgraded my encryption codes and thus the Director is unable to force entry as he did before," Jarvis informed her.

"_Stark, open the damn door!_" Fury growled into the speaker.

"Jarvis?" she asked, eyes never leaving the screen.

"I am disinclined to allow entry to this particular…individual," Jarvis said dryly.

Sigyn smiled as she glanced up at the ceiling and took up her knife again. "Then don't. He'll get the message eventually and attempt to contact Tony the way everyone else does."

"I may or may not have been screening his calls and e-mails," Jarvis admitted-sounding perhaps a little smug-and Sigyn laughed.

Natasha chuckled without looking away from her hand and a smile curved her lips. "That explains why he's here in person, at least," she said, shuffling her cards and waiting for Clint to complete his turn. "I'm surprised it took him this long to make an appearance."

Clint looked up at her over his own set of cards and eyed her suspiciously. Laying the cards down on the low table between them, he asked, "Naaaaat, what did you do?"

There was a lengthy pause as she contemplated the faces of several Queens and Kings. Finally, she glanced up at her partner and said, "I filed my final report on Sigyn."

"And that prompted this visit?" Clint prodded while Sigyn continued to carve a ham with a delicate hand and Jarvis talked her through a new recipe. For her part, Sigyn appeared to be ignoring their conversation and for that he was glad. Since they had made their decision, the woman had not looked twice at Natasha or tried to engage her in conversation.

At length, there was another pause. "It would appear that he did not like some of the things I had to say, especially regarding the new, potential threat of the Enchantress."

The elevator dinged open to admit a harassed looking Tony who made a direct beeline for the Asgardian. "You haven't done anything to the wiring in the walls again, have you?" he asked, referring to an incident that had happened two days previously. Sigyn just smiled at him and dug her fingers into the pig bones, tearing the last bits of meat from the carcass. He made a face and her smile turned into a grin. "That's _disgusting_."

"It's also how people go about obtaining enough food to feed the nine individuals you've allowed to live here as well as yourself and Pepper," Sigyn pointed out and Clint glanced at them, an amused smile tugging at his lips. "On that note, have you eaten today? I promised Pepper that I would force some food into you at the first chance I got."

Tony waved those concerns aside for the moment. "Not right now. Right now, I want to know why some of my equipment is on the fritz," he said impatiently and Sigyn frowned at the new word. "Not working correctly," he amended and she nodded.

"I have touched nothing electronic that Jarvis has not directed me to touch," she said and looked up at the ceiling. "Jarvis?"

"I have run the appropriate diagnostics on the malfunctioning units. There appears to be no internal damage, however the coding in place appears to have been tampered with recently," he informed them. There was a pause before he added, "Tracing the root of the code and comparing it against previously stored memory lends credence to the theory that my systems have been compromised. I cannot say how far my files have been infiltrated."

There was the cracking of bone and Sigyn looked up at the ceiling, blood draining from her face and possibly even whiter than Tony. Magic crackled at her fingertips even as she forced herself to release the ham bones and ask, "What needs to be done? How can I help?"

Another moment of silence before Jarvis answered, a pleased not creeping into his voice, "There is nothing _to_ be done, Ms. Sigyn. I am tracing the root of the corrupted files to their source and isolating and destroying the damaged files. Recovery of the missing files will require Sir to update them as I have no memory of the files since the last time that they were backed up."

She looked at Tony, a slightly wild expression lending a hard look to her eyes. The ham was forgotten as she stepped away and asked, "What can be done?"

"Nothing," Tony sighed, running a hand through his hair. "What _can_ be done is already being done."

Her eyes flicked to the screen again where Fury was waiting impatiently. She nodded at them. "Might they have had something to do with endangering Jarvis?"

Tony saw where the woman's thoughts were headed and his own features hardened. "It's possible and not out of the question," he answered. "Jarvis, let them in. Direct them to the third floor conference room. We'll be there momentarily." With Sigyn, Natasha, and Clint in tow, Tony led the way to the conference room.

* * *

Fury was fidgeting and angry by the time that most of the Avengers made their way into the conference room with Sigyn on their heels. They arrayed themselves around the table, Steve and Sigyn at Tony's side with Thor, Clint, and Natasha taking the seats around them. Bruce, for his part, leaned against the doorframe, which made the SHIELD agents glance nervously around the room.

He had to look again and study them each a little closer, but this time Fury was sure that the Avengers each wore the same expression. "Down to business, then," Tony said. "Did you damage Jarvis' files as well as hack him?"

So he knew, no surprise there with an AI like his. "Fair is fair," Fury returned with a growl. "You-" but the air was knocked from him as he doubled over an invisible fist and felt his airway constrict of its own accord. Sigyn hadn't moved, but it was her, _had_ to be her. The world was starting to spin into darkness around him as his agents shouted at her and the sound of cracking gunfire filled his ears while the smell of sulfur filled the air.

* * *

The bullets struck home, but flattened themselves against her skin and _clink_ed to the floor. Tony hadn't moved, but Steve had automatically thrown his arm out to catch her around the waist. A useless, but noble gesture, she thought as he yanked her behind him. "Release the spell," he hissed at her.

Her eyes never left the suffocating black man as she murmured, "In a moment, good Captain. My intent is not to kill, but to warn."

Clint had drawn and nocked his bow and held one of the other agents at arrow point. Natasha held the other two at knife point, though she looked to be keeping an eye on Sigyn as well. "Sigyn," the other woman said warningly when Fury started turning purple. The spells released themselves and Fury gasped down a deep breath while glaring at the sorceress and straightening his suit.

"Jarvis is sentient. Damage him again and I'll hunt you until I am the only thing that exists in your world," she said softly. "For that matter, try _anything_ and I will do far worse than what my husband did to your little base." With that, she turned on her heel and left the room. Bruce cast a backwards glance at them all, met Thor's gaze, and nodded before he followed her.

Tony was inspecting his fingernails when he said, "I'm not the least bit inclined to stop her, either. Jarvis is _mine_ and what you did was unacceptable. Hacking is one thing, but destroying his files and replacing his code are another matter entirely, one that I am inclined to repay with exposing your secrets to the world media. If I so much as find a glitch in his coding, I'll contact Dr. Doom and give him the coordinates and security codes to your secret little headquarters where you stash away all your little prototype weapons and-"

"Tony," Steve said sharply and the scientist only glanced at him.

"-tell him to have a spree," Tony finished. "Just so you know, I'm also going to ignore your little orders regarding Sigyn. She's not a hostile, except when you attack someone she considers a friend or family or provoke her into it. I'm taking her on patrol tonight." He delivered his little speech in such a flat tone that Fury just looked at him with a narrowed eye and rubbed his aching throat. When silence stretched across the room and conversation, he looked at his fellow Avengers and said, "Bruce, Thor, and Sigyn are welcome to stay, but I won't tolerate your presence if you are going to remain loyal to SHIELD and Fury. When the call comes to Assemble, I'll be there, but that doesn't mean I have to live with people I can't trust." His gaze lingered on Natasha and Clint. "I'll give you till the end of the day to give me your answer." Then, he left.

Thor frowned at the flattened bullets that were still on the floor as Clint and Natasha eased off their weapons. "It was unwise of you to discharge your weapons at my sister," he said frankly. "I would advise against doing so again in the future. Sigyn is not known for giving second warnings or chances." Then, he followed after Sigyn and the others.

Clint looked tense and unhappy even as his eyes kept flicking to the door, but it was Natasha that spoke for them. "I gave you my initial impressions of her, sir," Natasha said. "I _told_ you that I didn't think she was a hostile or even a potential threat. I listed the benefits of having a magic-wielding sorceress who is Thor's sibling. That she is Loki's wife is a boon. It means that if we can sway her to defending the Earth like Thor, we will have a better chance of _not_ having another invasion on our hands with him. I'm afraid I will have to throw my lot in with Stark and them. You did, after all, bring us together with the intention creating a team, Director." Clint's lips curled a little as he gave her a curt nod and then they both glanced at Steve, who had remained quiet the entire time.

Realizing it was his turn to decide, he tilted his head a little and considered Nick Fury. He wasn't at all like the generals or congressmen that he had served under during the war, nor even like the men and women that he had met since waking from the ice, but that didn't make him good or bad. It simply made him a man with too much power, just like most of the other leaders he had ever met. Memories of _Phase Two_ and moments his team had defended him during the invasion flickered through his mind. It was, he decided, too easy.

"With all due respect, my team comes first. They've made their decisions and I respect them more than you. We'll continue to file our end of week reports and defend the Earth, but we'll do it on our own terms," he said with a nod. "Shall I see you out, sir?"

Even in the face of apparent defeat, Nick Fury's features were inscrutable. That did not, however, prevent the corners of his lips from twitching upwards ever so slightly. The Council wouldn't like it, he knew, but the team had made their decision and there was technically nothing that group of shadow dictators could do.

It had been a good day.


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: I started this fic with the intention of exploring the Loki/Stark snark arena and then Sigyn introduced herself and hijacked everthing. Gotta say, I kinda like her more than I thought I would. Also, if there are any similarities between one of my OCs in the chapter and someone in RL, they are complete accidents. I have no idea who the current senators are.

* * *

Dinner that night was a quiet affair made from the ham that Sigyn had almost forgotten about, fish, and a variety of fruits and vegetables. Darcy was eyeing Sigyn with interest while the woman watched Jane and Thor with a slightly wistful air. For their part, the pair were mostly oblivious to the scrutiny of Thor's sister and engaged in quiet conversation. Steve seemed engaged in a philosophical discussion concerning differences in biology with Dr. Selvig. Pepper, Tony, and Bruce were talking about quantum physics which seemed to be mostly Tony breaking down the complicated processes into smaller words for Pepper to better understand the topic.

The easy chatter was interrupted when Darcy asked, "Can I taser you?" Every eye turned to her and more than a few looked horrified that the question had been asked. Darcy, noting the odd looks, said, "Hey! It's not like I'm suggesting we run her over with Jane's van like when Thor first arrived."

"What does 'taser' mean?" Sigyn asked.

"It is her weapon of choice that mimics, to a degree, Mjnlor's power over lightning," Thor answered gravely. "It was quite effective in subduing me." Darcy pulled the object from her pocket and slid it across the table to the other woman.

Sigyn burst out laughing as she examined it and everyone relaxed a little. "_You_, the golden _prince_ of Asgard, were taken down by such a small device," she said, turning it over in her hand.

Thor's face flushed a little. "I was human at the time. Father had _just_ banished me to Midgard," he muttered and Jane patted his hand fondly.

His sister just grinned wolfishly at him, an odd expression on one who appeared so small. "That would hardly have mattered to your strength and endurance," she pointed out. "I, myself, was stripped of all power for a time and felt no difference in the agility that I possessed nor the strength and endurance that had been mine before…ah…I was stripped of longevity and magic."

Tony blinked at her, finally drawn out of his own conversation. "They can do that? Remove what you were born with?" he asked. Nonplussed at Steve's slowly tingeing face, he added, "Pun intended."

Her glance turned from amused to closed. "I will not answer that, Anthony, as you will not answer for your Arc Reactor," she said.

He flushed a slow, steady pink while Pepper favored the female sorcerer with a contemplative look. Tony ran his fingers through his hair and shrugged. "Fair is fair. I won't press," he said and returned to his conversation.

Sigyn set the taser onto the table and slid it back to its owner. She smiled and told her, "To answer your question, yes. However, I must go on patrol with Tony in a few hours. Perhaps tomorrow?"

Darcy, for her part, seemed to have ignored the exchange and bypassed it completely when she brightened and said, "Awesome. Thanks!"

"You are most welcome," Sigyn chuckled.

"You will not be quite so gracious tomorrow, sister," Thor warned her and that only served to make her grin a little wider.

* * *

The fresh air was exhilarating as she landed lightly on the ceiling of another building in a crouch. She balanced on balls of her feet and looked out over the city at a height from which she had never observed anything. The lights below her spread out like an Earth bound star-lit sky that twinkled in bright oranges, yellows, and blues. Some moved and others did not. So unlike Asgard that it was heartening.

From the device in her ear Tony's voice issued like she was standing next to him as he asked, "How's it look, princess?"

Sigyn laughed, free and careless for the first time in a long time. "Utterly gorgeous," she breathed. "Earth, this city, is beautiful."

"That's excellent, but we need to stay focused. Tell me if you sense or see anything resembling Amora's magic," he said and she was uncoiling herself and preparing to spring for the next building when she saw the burst of fire from his suit.

"There are only so many spells in a day that I can cast, Tony," she said. "If she shows, and I do not think she will, then most of the fighting will be left to you."

There was a silence across the com until, "You used one or two of those spells on Fury, huh? Well, in that case, it is _completely_ worth it."

It was not the answer she had expected, nor was it the one she had dreaded. Before making the next leap, she snorted with laughter until she had herself under control. "You, Tony Stark, are one of a kind," she murmured as she made the next leap between buildings.

* * *

He had only just finished giving his report when the heavy weight of silence settled over the room. "You just…_left_ her there in the care of you little ragtag band of misfits? And your little _Russian_ says that she isn't dangerous?"

Fury stood before the Council in their shadowed frames and frowning lips with his own features carefully blank. "My _agent_ did not report that the women was not dangerous, only that she is a better asset than an enemy. That _is_ the assessment of one of my most capable _agents_, who I might remind you is trained in psychological manipulation. Not only that, the Avengers have rallied around the second Asgardian and Thor has made it plain that he means to stand with her."

He didn't add that Natasha had been reluctant or that Clint was still wary of her connection to Loki. Nor did he add that he had forced the issue in doing the one thing that Stark would never have forgiven. What had happened had been for the best and free of the scrutiny of the Council, they would only excel and grow as a team.

One shifted in his portrait and leaned forward until the shadows covered only his eyes and even then, Fury could still make out the maniacal gleam of his irises out. Senator Wallochet. A third term politician comfortable in his seat of power. Of the Council, _he_ was the one to watch.

"Director Fury," he began, _oozing_ charm. "Your service to us has been exemplary, but I think it time to even the playing field a little. You have under your eye two Asgardians with ties to the war criminal Loki, but what we need is one with no ties at all."

There was only one angle from which this could go and it didn't look good at all, not to him anyways. Already, a plan was unfolding itself in his mind as he studied the Senator. "Let me guess, it is the Enchantress," he said.

Wallochet's smile was more of a sneer. "Of course it is. And do you know what she asked for the aid we required of her?"

"Obviously, I have no idea," Fury said and the smile widened.

"Thor."

There was nothing to say to that as the discussion turned to how they could better use the _Enchantress_ in aiding them. Already, he was glad that he had charged Hill to listen at the other end of the line he always wore. She would already know his mind and be ready to enact his plan.

* * *

Tony pursed his lips over the news that his tablet was flashing at him. Three senators had died of heart attacks in the last few days. Two had been diagnosed with a flesh eating disease and one more had committed suicide. "And they say drinking is bad for your health," he muttered, letting his eyes rove over the pictures. Under that story flashed the headline of _"A Avenger to Join the Team?"_ with a picture of him an Sigyn on patrol from the night before. He smirked a little at that. The press were running wild with the story just like he had intended. All the while, he steadily ignored the paper the Pepper had given him that morning.

A charity fund raiser for a children's hospital.

Really. _Children?_

He didn't want to think about what the implication might be regarding the invitation that Pepper had _handed_ him. Memories were stirring in the back of his mind as he pushed the tablet away and stood from his work table. Darcy had claimed the lab she shared with Selvig and Jane for the demonstration of using a taser on an Asgardian. Thor, surprisingly, had volunteered to also be a subject to "Better test the effects of your device on an Asgardian whose powers have not been stripped." Sound logic, but Tony suspected that he hadn't wanted the smaller woman to prove she was better at something than him that _didn't _involve cooking or magic.

The elevator ride to their floor was spent _not_ thinking about certain events that made him think he would make a horrible father. Standing in the doorway of their lab, he felt his eyebrows creeping slowly up into his hairline. Thor was unconscious and sprawled on the floor. Jane was tutting over him and making sure he hadn't hurt himself in the fall. Sigyn, however, was what truly made him stop and look at her again.

She was a full head shorter than anyone in the room, yet she still managed hold herself with quiet confidence even dressed down into jeans and a t-shirt whose sleeves had been rolled up to her shoulders. The curve of her spine was straight and her shoulders set, an unconscious thing he was sure. Her head was bent towards Dr. Selvig as they exchanged a short conversation, but her lips were curled faintly in amusement every time that she glanced in Thor's direction. Darcy said something to her and she stepped lightly from Selvig's side to stand in the middle of the room, just slightly left of Thor so she wouldn't crush Jane if she, too, fainted out.

"You're sure about this?" Jane asked.

"Not really, no," she chuckled, eyes flicking to Tony's. "But the little weapon is mechanized with electromagnetic bolts so the reaction to me should be different than with Thor."

Understatement, of the _century_, Tony would later realize.

But before that, Darcy said, "I'll fire it on three. Just remember not to land on Thor if you pass out." That earned a light smile. "One, two, three." She fired it and the wires connected with Sigyn's skin.

For a split second, Tony thought that the taser was a dud. Then, electricity fizzled across the space between Darcy and Sigyn and Sigyn _screamed. _It was a scream that would echo through his nightmares and color the worst of his night terrors as her back arched, her eyes bulged, and her muscles seized. She collapsed and continued twitching while a high moan broke through her lips. Darcy had dropped the little gun and scrambled forward, hands out when Selvig caught her and hauled her back.

By that moment, Tony had already started moving and grabbed the taser and yanked back on the wires. They snapped and the charge went dead. Sigyn was still curled into herself, twitching, and keening when Jane tentatively laid a hand on her shoulder. Tony almost couldn't bring himself to come closer, to look at the damage that had been wrought with such a small device, but move forward he did when Sigyn flinched from Jane's touch.

His own hands found the little wires and detached them from her skin, flicking them neatly to the side. With deft fingers, he rolled her onto her back and sucked down a remark when he saw the blackened skin flaking off. "Jarvis, is the medical wing functioning again?"

"Already at your disposal, sir," Jarvis replied.

"Good. Let Thor know as soon as he wakes that that is where I've taken her," he said, slipping his arms under her neck and knees. Her weight against his chest made him remember, forcefully, how he had carried her that first night. So different, the circumstance, yet still so much the same. Each step was painstaking because she was heavier than Pepper and every other female he had even lifted off the ground.

Darcy followed at his heels, worry written into the crease of her eyebrows and the flutter of her hands. "Just tell me what to do," she said quietly.

* * *

The slow slide of power beneath his hands stuttering to a halt and the fast reversal to its source was what brought the situation to his attention. That the power, _her_ magic, was fleeing back to her body told him that the spell had either been broken or, _or_, it was needed for her defense. Plans and spells were unraveling around him without the support of her power, but that was small in comparison to the fear he felt wash through him as he stepped from one plane and into the shadows of another until a room revolved around him, distorted in shapes and figures but clear in her image.

Loki held that place in his mind as he slid through the darkness to be at Sigyn's side. His fingers brushed lightly over her temple as she appeared to sleep. The damage that had been done to her spread itself in spiderwebs across her body, in the shimmering network that was her magic. Here and there, corresponding to the charred flesh, there were breaks in the smooth flow of power through her body. Something of a similar nature had ripped through her body and overloaded her system.

He finally finished materializing and the two shapes that had been moving in his peripheral froze. Stark and a human girl. A softly uttered spell and the damage to her body was healed, but the damage to her magic remained, swirling around itself and creeping back through the spaces that had been hurt. "You remember what I told you, Stark? Yes?" he asked and his voice was soft.

"Kinda hard to forget, Dancer. So, I suppose it's a good thing we didn't do anything to her," Stark said, coming around his side with a device in her. He appeared to be studying it intently and glancing between it and Sigyn. "Her vitals appear to be going back to normal. Whatever you just did was good for her."

"Of course it was," Loki shot back and he felt ice gathering and breaking around him, invisible to all but his own blood. "She was injured under your watch and you say that you had nothing to do with it, when she is in your facilities and her magic rebounded to _protect_ her."

Stark, he noticed, was wearing the bracelets. Not a total fool then, to have expected him to show. The human tucked the square device under his arm and turned his body subtly to face him. Tilting his head back a little, Stark said, "You _left _her here, not knowing if we would try anything, and _now_ you care? Good job, Reindeer Games, _good_ job. Since you left her here, she's been threatened with torture, attacked, _and_ manipulated and what it takes for her to get your attention is for her to be _physically_ and _magically_ hurt."

Loki blinked at the amount of venom in the human's voice. He would have thought that eleven days wouldn't be long enough to get attached in the way that Stark seemed to have become. Disregarding his own safety to berate _him_ on how to care for someone that loved him. Foolish, or very much innocent in his part of his wife's injury.

"If you-" he started, but Stark was already turning away and handing the device to the human girl that seemed frozen in her shock as she stared at him.

Stark snapped his fingers in front of the girl's eyes and told her something, but Sigyn's head had shifted closer into the palm of his hand and he felt the warmth of her breath against his wrist. Her fingers traced a path up his arm and he looked back at her, her own eyes open and holding fast to his form. "Lok'," she slurred, her voice thick with sleep. "S'alright. Sorta my fault." Her gaze flicked to Stark and the corners of her mouth kicked up in a slight smile. "Let's not do that again."

"Agreed, princess," Stark said, idly glancing at her from across the room. "Next time Darcy asks to test out her taser on someone, steer clear of the room."

Sigyn just hummed at him, the sounds an incoherent tangle as she tugged Loki closer. With his free hand, he threaded his fingers through her hair and leaned a little closer. "Don't attack them, Lok'. S'not what you think happened," she sighed. "Stay?"

A thousand thoughts whirled through his mind. _Thor here_ and _don't want reunion, not yet _ and _spells needing to be recast_ and _maybe Stark is right _and _don't want to leave her, not yet_ and _Odin's crimes yet to be paid for_. "For now, there is nothing pressing," he relented. "Some of the spells will need to be renewed or recast all together since your power returned to you, but progress has not been reversed."

"What're you…making?" she asked, on the edge of sleep. "Projects don't normally take…so…long."

He leaned down to her level, brushed his lips against her ear, and, for her ears only said, "A prison for one."


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: This started out as slightly fluffy and then exploded into angst.

I regret nothing! Enjoy.

* * *

The sleepy edge vanished from her body as she looked at him. Loki was drawing back by then, a smirk touching his lips. Fear warred with _want_. The question of how everything could, _would_, change everything. A desire for personal revenge weighed against all of reality and time. Removing Odin from the throne would prove catastrophic, whether for good or ill would be seen. Thor had a wiser head on his shoulders than he had had before Loki had managed to get him exiled, but was it enough?

"How long?" she asked, her voice cracking.

He threaded his fingers through her hair and didn't quite meet her gaze. "A month, perhaps longer depending on this set back," he said quietly.

"You-" she began.

"I refuse to consider the fools of Asgard in this. The other realms will be unaffected," he said clearly enough that Tony had raised his head to frown at them.

She huffed out a breath of annoyance. "You, husband, reach very far to avenge the wrongs done to us," she said softly and pulled him closer. She shifted herself until she was sitting on the edge of the bed and his head was bent towards her. "I am not saying, no, but I _have_ to ask that you do more than consider the weight of everything he has done to us. Yes, it _hurts_ knowing the monster free and unpunished, but…"

"But nothing, love," Loki said. "We are not the only ones he has wronged. Asgard will be better off without him. _All_ the realms will be better off without him leading Asgard."

When he started pulling back, her fingers tightened around his and he paused. "Have you _read_ the treaties of old? The treaties that he holds with the dwarves, the Vanir? "

"I am…aware of them, yes," he admitted.

"Consider carefully how we step, husband. Removing Odin might be the easy part, but doing so would result in the dissolving of those treaties that bind the realms into peace. Specifically, the treaties bind the rulers to _Odin_ in peace for as long as _he_ holds the throne of Asgard. They speak nothing of heirs or successors," she said and watched the realization flit across his face. "If we remove Odin from the throne, then the Vanir _and_ the dwarves would hunt us to the end of time and across all the blackness of the Void."

"That _bastard_," Loki hissed, his hands tightening around hers.

Out of the corner of her eye, she realized that Tony was paying far too much attention to one of his screens. The scientist, as she had come to understand, never held still unless he was inventing something, but his fingers weren't moving and Darcy had seemingly vanished. With an unpleasant curling in her stomach, she slid from the bed and placed herself between her puzzled husband and the Avenger.

"You alerted them, then?" she asked, almost casual. She could feel the cool heat of Loki's body as he moved to stand directly behind her just as she could feel the air shivering with his magic around them.

Tony's fingers danced across the screen as he glanced at them and grinned. "To put them on alert, yes, but not to attack. Not yet. We still have no reason to trust him and every reason to suspect another invasion," he said. There was a pause before he amended, "Except you." Another pause and he said, "I've been monitoring their progress through the Tower. Natasha and Clint had fallen in with Cap and they're about a floor down waiting for a signal. Bruce hasn't moved, but he was on this floor to begin with and Thor is about three doors down."

"You're-" she began and then Thor burst into the room.

"Brother!" he exclaimed, eyes landing on Loki, who grimaced and stepped away.

She cast a glance at Tony and nearly rolled her eyes at the grin that he wore. Planned, just for this, then. Not malicious, but a subtle favor for a friend. The thought made her relax considerably as she stepped aside for Thor to sweep in and try to catch Loki in a bear hug. A smile touched her lips as, instead of Loki, Thor swept his arms through an afterimage. Tilting her head back, she caught her husband's eye and let the amusement show in the creases around her eyes and mouth.

"How many times will you fall for that?" Loki asked Thor, his voice lilting up towards scornful.

"Be _nice_," she said and, by the way his eyes flickered from Thor to hers, she knew he understood what she meant. _Don't avoid this, let him forgive you._

"Well, here we are again, _Asgard's_ golden trio," Loki said, his voice barely restrained in the scorn. "How do I look on this side of an invasion, _brother?_"

The look of hurt that flashed across Thor's face made her heart squeeze painfully. Blood or not, he had been one of the few to stand by her even if he had been foolishly prideful in it. She turned her body so that she could face her husband and subtly insinuate herself between them. "_Loki_," she said softly, reprimand coloring her tone, but his glare did not soften. Tony, she noticed, discreetly withdrew to the other side of the room to give them some semblance of privacy. For that, she _was_ grateful even if he had scared her earlier. "What is this rage?" she asked, her voice still soft enough that only Loki could hear her.

His fingers touched her cheek briefly, but she did not lean into the gesture and his hand dropped to his side again. The look that creased his lips and narrowed his eyes told her too much. Old, bitter pain was there mingled with tired despair. "You were gone for so very long," he said and it fell into place, but he was stepping away. "I have overstayed my welcome. Do not over exert yourself and you should be back to normal by tomorrow. In the meantime, I shall keep an eye out. Until next time, Sigyn." Briefly his eyes flicked to Thor before he said, "Thor," with a brief nod and vanished.

"Huh," Tony said, glancing up from one of the screens he was skimming his fingers across. "A houseguest who doesn't blow things up or break expensive equipment. That's a novelty. Of course, said houseguest _did_ try to take over the world so I suppose he'd fit in with our band of misfits just fine." Sigyn's gaze darted to Tony and she blinked, hard. She drew breath to say something, but Thor caught her arm and squeezed gently. Looking at him, she nodded and he released her. As they left the room, Tony called after them, "Don't overdo it on the sparring!"

* * *

Steve took one look at Thor's expression and vacated the room. Clint was a little harder to extricate from the target practice, but promising him magical, _moving_ targets for his next days practice placated him and then they had the room to themselves.

"Friend Jarvis, are you able to ensure that no one else enters for the next hour?" Thor asked uncertainly.

"It has already been done," Jarvis assured them. "And might I recommend not standing in the middle of the room as sounds tends to carry and Hawkeye is very curious as to the nature of your conversation." There was a pause and then he added, "I will dissuade him from listening in due course, but in the meantime I strongly recommend that you talk quietly as well."

Sigyn chuckled as she moved to the farthest edge of the room to lean against the wall and close her eyes for a moment. "When I first disappeared, what did Odin tell you?" she asked.

"Only that you were dead," Thor said, moving to tower over her. "Father said that you had died valiantly, but only that. He refused to give Loki anything beyond that and said that there was no body to be honored."

She opened her eyes and studied him. There was guilt in his eyes, easily read in the way he frowned. One shoulder rose and fell in a half shrug. "Odin is your father. I do not blame you for believing him," Sigyn said.

"That is not…the entire matter," Thor admitted. "I believed him, yes, but I believed him to the extent that I thought Loki to be in denial when he asked my help in finding you." Silence stretched between them for so long that Thor shifted uncomfortably and added, "He did not mourn you as we all did and called such sentiments false. Instead, he obsessed over obscure arcane arts that had been thought lost and there were times when I tried to draw him out, but-"

"Thor," she said patiently.

"-he was determined to track down the spells that he sought. Loki was-"

"_Thor_," she said sharply and it brought him up short and blinking at her. "I understand the situation better, thank you for confirming my suspicions." At his blank look, she sighed and said, "Loki does not ask for help unless he truly _needs_ it and in refusing him, you scorned him worse than all the taunts and wounds that had been inflicted by Asgard. He trusted you to believe in him and you chose Odin over him. He won't forgive that easily."

"I…see," Thor said, turning his head away.

"Brother," she said softly and straightened. "He _is_ angry, but he does not hate you."

"That is…some comfort," Thor admitted, his memories skipping back to the moment just before his failed coronation. So long ago, it seemed to him.

She hesitated on her question, knowing that they had reached a moment of no return. To choose one or the other, father or sibling. Yet… "How much do you know of what Odin has done to us? To Loki? To me? To the children that we have borne between the two of us?"

He blinked and looked at her. It was a measured question, her words guarded and careful. There was a purpose beyond the answer she would give and to answer one way would almost guarantee a rift. His mind flashed to the first night he had arrived and the decision he had made. Smiling grimly, he said, "Tell me everything. If Loki has something planned for my father, I will stand with him." Even as he said it, he felt his gut twist with the words, because he had just promised to stand with them even if it meant his father's death.

Sigyn nodded, a guarded look to her eyes, and she told him everything. When she finished, Thor had sunk to the floor, tight lipped and pale faced. "Loki is making a prison for him, but it isn't going to be a simple matter. Odin is a powerful caster and has treaties signed with the other realms that are worded in such a way that they are not obligated to carry over their agreements to the heir."

Prison. Meant not _dead._ Meant a chance at _forgiveness_. Meant a chance to _set things right_. But…he took in the hard set of Sigyn's lips, the slight narrowing of her gaze. There was no chance for forgiveness, not even from one such as she. A prison simply meant that his sire would not be killed outright for the things he had done. He had made his choice.

"Tell me what you need of me," he said, rising slowly.

* * *

Tony cornered her three hours later and the look she gave him was wary, but what he had to say was something she had not expected. "You like children, right?" he asked and she realized he was a little wild eyed.

"Yeeeeees," she said slowly.

"Great! You're coming with me and Cap tonight. We have _no idea_ how to handle children," Tony said, "and we're going to be dealing with a _lot_ of sick ones."

_That_ caught her interest and made her heart squeeze just a little. "Sick ones?" she asked, her voice dropping a little.

Comprehension of what wound he might have prodded made him flush a little and look away. "Cap and I were asked to do a…charity thing…for sick children and some of that includes actually _visiting_ them in the hospital where they're going to…die," he admitted. "I've no idea how to interact with children in their situations and thought you might be a good person to bring along in case I fuck things up…like usual."

There was a pause before she said, "Of course I will accompany you and the Captain."

And that was how she found herself in a hospital surrounded by no less than six children and their guardians while she wove a tale of magic and heroes and _happily ever afters_. Tony wasn't as horrible as he thought he was with children, but he had the added bonus of being able to let Pepper do most of the talking for him, except when he was asked to recount a particular tale feat that he had accomplished as Iron Man. Steve's natural charm seemed to extend towards children and, thus, she was not required to smooth over any of the situations that Tony had thought she would be needed for.

When it was over with the pictures taken and the children tucked into bed for the night, Tony found Sigyn lingering at the bedside of a girl whose parents were clinging to each other and weeping. He halted in the doorway and hesitated on the words that he had wanted to say when he saw her hands moving through a gesture. A soft, golden light enveloped the child's face for a moment before it faded and she closed her eyes.

"Sleep, child, and know peace," she said and stepped away. The parents moved forward and took the girl's hands, broken words crooned into the stillness of the room. There were no thanks for the easing of the girl's pain or the dreams that had been granted one last time. There was only silence and grief and the shadow of tears that clung to her eyes when she glanced at him.


	16. Chapter 16

The first sign that Tony had that anything was out of sorts was when Jarvis switched off the power to his computer and said, "Sir, Sigyn requires aid."

He looked up stupidly as the screen blinked out on him, his mind still whirling with equations and how various parts would fit together. "What?" he asked.

"Sigyn requires aid and does not wish Thor to see her," Jarvis said and he was on his feet, headed out the door.

"What happened?"

"I am unsure. I requested assistance from Ms. Darcy first, but she has been unable to move our guest from the bathroom," he said.

A few years ago the question wouldn't have occurred to him, nor would the possibility of the situation have bothered him, but the weight of the engagement ring on his finger was a subtle reminder of the promises he had made. "Is she…_decent?_" he asked.

"I am unsure," Jarvis said, a note of apology creeping into his voice. There was a pause before he added, "Ms. Darcy has indicated that Sigyn is decent."

Tony released a sigh of relief and continued on his way. "Tell me what happened."

* * *

In Sigyn's bathroom, Darcy had managed to roll the smaller woman onto her side so she didn't choke on the vomit, but it was hardly better. Sigyn was curled around herself, her hands around her stomach as she labored to draw breath and control the shaking of her limbs. The smell of vomit made her recoil and shrink in on herself a little more.

When a cool rag was pressed to her forehead, she flinched away and moaned. "Too cold," she whispered.

"Can you walk? Do you want to move to the bed?" Darcy asked, running the rag under warm water before swiping it across Sigyn's skin. That was when she heard Jarvis's low voice in the next room directing Tony into the bathroom. "I don't know what happened," she said as he walked in. "Jarvis just called me in and asked me to take care of her when she didn't come out for an hour and he registered that no water had passed the facets and-"

"I know, Darcy," Tony said gently, kneeling next to them and taking the rag from her. "Jarvis already told me everything he suspects. First, lets get her into bed and this place cleaned up. Before that, go to her closet and get a clean shirt. This one can't smell too good."

Darcy was on her feet and into the bedroom before he had finished speaking. Laying his fingers against her forehead, he noted that her skin was heated and flushed. Fever, then. What had happened at the hospital before they left echoed through his mind as Loki's parting words echoed through his mind, "_Don't overextend yourself."_

"Is it your magic?" he asked and her eyes flickered open before she squeezed them shut again. "Too much… too…soon," she answered between labored breaths.

"You can hear me fine, so that's good. I'm going to treat this like you're ill, because that's what it looks like. If you need anything in particular, you'll have to talk us through it. Can you do that?" he asked, carefully working her body into his arms and lifting her.

She still groaned at the sudden movement and hooked an arm around Tony's shoulders to turn her head into the fabric of his shirt. It was a shorter walk than the last two times he had carried her, but the thirteen steps felt longer than before. Darcy had the shirt in her hands and was hovering, a pained look crossing her features as Tony settled Sigyn onto the bed and unhooked her arm.

"I could-" she began.

"Would you-" he began and they looked at each other.

They didn't quite share a smile as Tony drew back from Sigyn and nodded. "I'll clean up the mess in the bathroom. You get her out of the soiled clothes and let me know when she's decent," he said, turning towards the door he had just come through.

"Don't you have…uh…servants that do this sort of thing for you?" Darcy asked.

"Call them _servants_ these days and they sue the crap out of you," Tony called back from the bathroom. "No, they're employees and, no, I don't trust them with things like cleaning my personal residences. The last time I had anyone but me or Pepper or my 'bots do something like that, my underwear wound up on E-bay being sold for close to three million to an old widow. What do you think people like that would do with someone like Sigyn?"

Darcy wrinkled her nose and looked at the small woman curled around herself on the bed and shuddered at the thought. "Good point."

* * *

Heimdall watched Sigyn with some concern, noting the different ways in which her magic appeared to be reacting to the spell that she had cast the previous day. Taking the girl's pain and giving her peace in her final hours had been an act worth of the risk, but she was paying dearly for the kindness she had given. Sweating and vomiting was the least of the reactions. What had him concerned was the way that her magic pulsed around the points where the human's weapon had touched her and reached into the connection she bore with her son.

Odin's voice echoed through him mind at the moment of the binding when Sigyn had been beside herself with rage and grief, her fingers threading through her son's new white pelt, "_What you know, he shall know. What he knows, you shall know."_

At the time, he had thought it a boon, a way for Fenrir to keep some form of sentience should Odin ever decide to undo the _punishment_. Sigyn's mind, her _consciousness_ had been connected to that of her son's and he had thought his king wise for "gift." He turned his gaze to the far-reaching realm of shadow and light that had been created for her son alone, to be locked away where he could harm no one. Seeing the white wolf curled into himself, like his mother, and keening softly to the moon gave him no pleasure. _Cruelty_ was the word that echoed through his mind as he surveyed them and it left a sour taste in his mouth.

Heimdall risked a glance towards the palace and saw only that Odin was dining in the comfort of his halls with his high nobles and laughing at some unheard jest. He returned his gaze to the realms beyond the shattered Bi-Frost before his realized he had been Gazed upon. Instead, he gazed upon the youngest of his siblings and the companion she had elected to take with her on the patrols.

* * *

Sif was _bored_. It had not been a month since Thor's departure and she was _bored._ Walking patrols had taken up her free time, but Hogun was a silent companion even at the best of times. Frandarel had gone back to his charming of the female population into his bed and had even begun to look twice at some of the males. Volstagg was becoming an annoyance to the palace cooks and they were beginning to threaten bodily harm every time her showed up to pillage the kitchen stock. All in all, they were _all_ bored and without someone to grant them permission to cross realms and get into their usual .

The patrols took place at the edge of the forests, their goal to ensure that none of its inhabitants were impinging on Asgard's rightful territory and enforce the restrictions. Personally, she rather thought that the fairies and the dwarves had long since given up on peaceful relations and she couldn't blame them. They did, after all, share a realm with a warrior people who were often forbidden to travel outside the realm looking for the battles that would set their blood afire. Sparring could ease the violent desires only so much.

With Hogun as her silent shadow, she had plenty of time to think as she surveryed the greenery and watch for forms that would not come. The last time that Thor had been gone this long with no escort, he had been banished and Loki had tried to steal the throne. _That_ had been short lived, but at least it had been exciting enough to allow Asgard's inhabitants to forget, for a time, that they were at peace with all nine realms.

Attempting to destroy an entire race? A little extreme, yes, but better than remaining idle as they were for an undetermined amount of time.

There was talk among the warriors that Odin was beginning to lose his grip on his throne, that he was becoming soft and losing the edge he had once held in battle. Peace, they said, was for the weak to be enforced with the strength of the strong. She did not, for a moment, agree entirely with them, but she could see the merits of their arguments. At least with Thor, she, Volstagg, Frandarel, and Hogun had had the option of following him into the messes and adventures that he used to drag Loki into. With Thor, they had never been _bored._

Later, she would regret that she had let her attention wander. She would remonstrate that she should have been more aware. As it was, she missed the first flitting, lithe form that moved between the shadows. Hogun, however, had seen it and she saw the blade only a moment before Hogun crashed into her side and sent them sprawling into the bushes behind her. Wheezing and trying to draw a deep breath, she looked up a shining blade into the fierce, angled face of a Vanir glaring down at her.

The blade rested at the base of her throat as the Vanir hissed, "You are one of the Odinson's companions."

Hogun turned his head to look sidelong at the enemy. He was silent, assessing, and tense. Sprawled across her as he was, she could feel every muscle twitch in him and knew he was about to do something, but he couldn't see past the first Vanir. Beyond the first form, she could see at least a dozen more. "Hogun, no," she said sharply and then hissed when the blade bit into her skin.

"Stay silent."

The Vanir's eyes flickered up towards the palace. "Bind them, gag them. We will use them as hostages against the Golden Son if he chooses to fight. Fenrir will be released to us, one way or another."

* * *

In the realm of shadow and light where the only company the white wolf had was the moon, Fenrir lay as still as he could manage. The only sound he made was the occasional keening when the pain washed fresh over him. Dreams overtook him, showed him a life of love, of soft touches and gentle words free of fur on two legs.

Dame and foster sire, siblings had been part of that life, before the fur and the flickering images from Dame's mind. Now, there was only silence and howling, lonlieness and wandering before the dreams. She knew what he knew and heknew what she knew, but he understood nothing of what she showed him. All he gleaned from Dame that he knew was _regret_ and _love _and _hope. _In the silence and the howling, she was with him night after night and in the light of the moon she ran with him. It was the coming of the dawn that tore them apart, severed the link they shared and threw back into the animal he had been made into.

Now, tonight, in the here and now, she held him in dreams of what _had been_. The warmth of her arms as she held him, the weight of her chin resting on his head as he sobbed, the threading of fingers through fur at _change_, and _rage_. She drew him back, back to the smell of grass and water and the song of soft, wordless voices blending and floating to greet the moon. In dream and in memory, she held him through the pain, whispered the words that had taken him through the naming and the pain and the agony of _becoming_ Vanir.

"_I am here, be strong, I am here, be strong, I am here, be strong, I am here, __**Fenrir**__."_

The pain subsided and he knew his mind once more, knew beyond a shadow who he was and felt the wolf twine its nature through his. He opened silver-blue eyes and howled to his dame and felt her pride swell through him. Broken, but not unbound, the spell held them together and she taught him through the night the words that he had lost.

* * *

Her breathing was easier, her fever broken, and her hair no longer plastered to her face with dried sweat. Darcy sat beside her and dabbed the cloth against her skin every so often, unaware that Jarvis watched them and remained their silent guardian against the other curious Tower inhabitants. It was, after all, only fair to let her sleep in peace after all that had been done that day.


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: A little shorter than I normally post, I realize, but this chapter had to be split into three parts and combed through with the amount of events that began cascading into each other. I can't promise Loki making an appearance in this one or the next chapter, but I can promise he'll be taking a larger role...soon. The next chapter should take about three days to edit, so until then, enjoy!

* * *

When she next woke, she was unsurprised to find that the human that had accidently injured her was curled up at the foot of her bed, fast asleep and clutching a cloth in her hand. She sat up and flexed her hands, holding in mind the dream that she had had. Snippets of sensation and emotion floated back to her as she turned to flexing the muscles of her legs. She had held him in memory within the dreams while pain wracked her body. His mind had been _clear_ when she left him and there had been no lingering _regret_ when she realized that he had been…_whole_. Still stranded in a realm by himself, but whole. It was a step in the right direction, even if she could never help him regain his original form.

Memory of the last spell she had cast over the dying girl made her heart ache. One so young should not have been torn from a mortal world where life was lived but once. Taking the girl's pain and giving her dreams had been worth her own pain, in more ways than one since it had drained her own power to defend herself against Odin's spell binding her to her son.

Even as she felt the stirring of her magic, the sliding of sustained spells slipping against her skin, she felt the siphon lock into place and she smiled at the shivering magic that touched against her with it. Glancing around, she murmured, "Stop worrying, love, and do what you need to." The feel of his magic faded and left only the slight awareness that her own power was being mostly diverted elsewhere.

"Did you need something, Ms. Sigyn?" Jarvis queried and she tilted her head back to smile at him.

"No. I was just answering a question that my husband poised to me," she answered.

There was a moment of silence before Jarvis said, "I do not detect his presence anywhere within the building."

She caught the unspoken question, the undercurrent of concern that Loki had breathed the security of the Tower..._again_. "He wasn't here. We have our own methods of communication," she said and that was the end of it as she turned her gaze back to the small human. Rearranging the blankets, she folded the comforter around Darcy's shoulders and smoothed the wrinkles from the other woman's arm.

The light of the morning sun cast shadows into the room and over Darcy's jaw at such an angle that Sigyn paused and tilted her head to better study the human. Darcy, she decided, looked a little like Hela had when her daughter had been Darcy's age. It wasn't just superficial and in the length and color of the hair, but the slant of the eyes and the length of the cheek bones. Beyond that, though, Darcy's personal quirks and the animated way in which she spoke were her own. Hela had been the epitome of patience and gentle amusement. Still, it didn't stop her from seeing her daughter in the human.

* * *

In Asgard, the pair that had been captured were still bound back to back, gagged, and blindfolded. Despite their limited sight and hearing, Hogun had managed to work his wrists loose over the course of the night without betraying his movements to their captors. Slight sounds now and then told him where the Vanir that had been left to watch them. As the bindings fell loose, he felt the hilt of a small knife pressed into the palm of his hand by Sif. If he could have, he would have smiled. As it was, he was simply glad of the weapon since his had been stripped from him.

Then, he felt three fingers pressing against his skin and vanish one-by-one. The old signal. When the last finger vanished from his skin, he was up and moving. He ripped the blindfold from his eyes and slashed with the knife at their nearest captors. The Vanir had time for only a surprised grunt before the knife was embedded into his throat and the world dimmed before his eyes.

While Sif circled and danced around the other, avoiding the swift blades, Hogun stripped the corpse of useful weapons and tossed her the sword. She caught it and the battle was short lived. All he clearly saw was the flash of silver, the movement of bodies twining with the shadows and moonlight, and then he heard the grunt of pain that was distinctly male in voice and that was the end of it.

"Let's get back and see if we can be of use," Sif said, wiping the blood on the Vanir's ruined tunic. She dug through his pockets and produced only a few coins. Taking the second blade in hand, she inspected its edge and nodded before tossing it to Hogun. Together, they left the forest to enter their golden city.

* * *

Hours spent and wasted in trying to convince Odin of the danger, Heimdall had left his post and organized those that would listen to him into a small, swift moving band that concentrated on getting the noncombatants out of the city before the raid hit. Odin might skin him for it later, but ensuring safety of the citizens of Asgard came before even obedience to the throne.

Among those that had come to him were Fandral and Volstagg, understandably concerned for his sister and her companion. He had told them, in short phrases, what had happened and they had grimly agreed that he was right. They had left and returned with twenty warriors, fresh from the training fields and eager to test their strength and mettle in battle once again. Few might remember how they had once fought, but enough had honed muscle memory to the point of perfection that he was satisfied they would be more than able defend themselves. From the city, they pushed into the surroundings mountains and began to broach the caves they could find.

* * *

From a safe distance, Skurge observed the efforts of the Vanir to arrange themselves into something resembling a fighting force. Even from the distance that he was, he had to admit that Amor's plan had worked beautifully. Tipping the Vanir off as to the location and treatment of their prince had been a brilliant motivator for them to mass and march on Asgard. Really, though, it wouldn't have taken much to give them that push. Since the incident with the sacrificing of their people for the practice of dark arts, they had been _looking_ for a chance to act on their hostility that "Sigyn" had inspired in them. Her disappearance had been…inconvenient, but not unprecedented with Odin's uncanny ability to _know_ things.

Satisfied that he had seen all he needed to, he slipped from the scene and headed for the rendezvous point that Amora had established for them. War would once again rip the realms apart and flood the space between time and shadows with blood and death. Next was to put into action the plans for Midgard.

* * *

Whatever his intentions and the appearance of being deaf to the warnings that Heimdall had tried to impart on him, Odin _knew_ that the Vanir were massing in the forests and crossing the borders between the realms. _How_ he wasn't sure, but he understood what it meant. That did not, however, mean that he would unduly terrify those of his court that were less than able to wage a war when his warriors were able to quietly arm and armor themselves for a thorough defense. When the time came, he would lead the charge himself and leave the evacuation of the palace to his wife, but for the moment he left his nobles to enjoy themselves for the last few hours before what promised to be a long couple of days.

* * *

Shadows delved within the light of the city, flitted through the cracks in the stones, and swept through the eerily silent, golden streets. Bows were drawn taut, swords and blades unsheathed as they advanced. Those that remained, that had ignored the quiet evacuation, had their throats slit and their corpses left in a pool of congealing blood as the Vanir advanced. Unsurprisingly, they were met with no real resistance until they reached the palace.

What followed that night was remembered by the survivors as only snatches of sounds and colors. Red for the blood splashed across the walls, the screams of the dying, and the clash of swords. Bellowed cries of challenge cut short. Silver flashing and weaving against darkness and the dim light of hallways. Cloth ripped, armor wrent apart, captives were dragged from the field and taken back to the forest.

* * *

Heimdall watched from his point in the mountains as the attack unfolded and felt no satisfaction in being right. His gaze sought those that he knew and the royal family. Odin, for better or worse, survived the night.

* * *

At dawn, the Vanir had taken all those they deemed they were able to hold and withdrew with their dead and their hostages, leaving the warriors of Asgard to lick their wounds and tend to their own dead or wounded. And the question that echoed through them all was, _How did they get so close?_

No answer was given, but Odin gave his commands and the wounded were separated from the dead and their remaining warriors reorganized to more defensible positions. Shaken and angry at the attack on their homes, the Aseir gathered their numbers and followed their king's orders.

As the dawn stretched into true morning, no ransom demands came for the hostages and Odin gave them no leave to pursue the Vanir. From their backs, a number of warriors trickled in from the mountains to relay the news that most of the city's civilians were safely settled into the caves and caverns that would offer protection against surprise attacks. The knowledge that families and friends outside the palace were more or less safe offered the defenders some conciliation, but it did not quell the rising tide of unease and ill feeling they were beginning to feel towards their king the more he appeared to do nothing. As murmurs rose from their ranks, the second, true, attack began.


	18. Chapter 18

_Three days later_

Morning was breaking over New York again with no hint of its inhabitants breaking from their routines. Cars roared through the streets as people bustled to and from work and the sidewalks, though not filled to bursting, were far from empty. To an outside observer, the scene taken by itself would have been normal, but it was the weather that was most puzzling of all. Lightning streaked through the sky on occasion with no visible storm clouds, but New York's inhabitants paid it no mind with the knowledge that they had in residency six super-human heroes. One could not, after all, discount the tendencies of a resident thunder god within the city.

In Stark Tower-better known to most as the Avengers Tower-four of the six super hero inhabitants were just beginning to stir. Tony and Bruce, who had worked through the night on a new idea for Tony's suit were still running on the fumes of caffeine when they joined Steve for the breakfast that Sigyn was just finishing making for them. Clint and Natasha were curled up on the couch with their sandwhiches and mugs of coffee, watching the news report on the strange weather.

Thor sat at the table, a little bleary eyed and face still imprinted with the image of his pillow, with his own coffee. He stared blankly at Bruce when the scientist tried to draw him into a conversation and responded with one syllable answers until Sigyn dropped a very large plate of food before him and smiled when he dug in.

Pepper and Jane were engaged in a technical discussion of some sort that looked to be geared towards Thor and Tony by the sidelong glances they were shooting their men and how Tony kept edging away from them. Sigyn almost smiled when he circled around the counter to retrieve yet another cup of coffee. She snagged the handle of the cup from his hand and dumped its contents into the sink when she turned to pick up a fresh knife.

"You've had a full pot of coffee in the last three hours," she said. "Any more and I might assume you're trying to induce a heart attack."

He looked a little affronted, "Hey, I _live_ off this stuff. Its no more dangerous than drinking thirty liters of mountain dew in fifteen minutes."

"For Thor, perhaps, but that is a lot of caffeinated soda for a human of your size and weight to consume in such a short amount of time. My guess would be that you would end up in the hospital getting your stomach pumped," she replied, tipping the sliced meat into a pan to cook. Glancing up, she grinned at the baffled look Tony was giving her and added, "Jarvis has been very helpful in teaching me about your culture and explaining some of the more bizarre phrases that you and yours use to explain things."

Pepper cleared her throat and Tony looked sidelong at his fiancé. "You haven't slept in the last two days, Tony. I'm going to have to agree with her. Eat something and then go to bed or I'll have Jarvis deactivate everything electronic in the Tower until you do."

Clint and Natasha were glaring at him, a subtle warning of what would happen if his habits interrupted their own schedules-specifically their news seeking habits. Steve, however, glanced up at the ceiling and asked, "That wouldn't include light, would it?"

Sigyn burst out laughing at that. "I do believe that Ms. Potts and Jarvis would be so kind as to leave the lights on for us to make our way through the hallways, good Captain," she said without looking up from the pan.

Pepper glanced at Sigyn and the women shared an amused glance. "Only if he sleeps," Pepper said conversationally.

"Well, I suppose if all else fails, I could lace his food with a sedative," Sigyn replied and Thor suddenly took to inspecting his food. Her lips twitched into a real smile as she watched her brother. "No, Thor, I haven't done anything of the sort. The only spell I cast anywhere near food is to detect for poisons." The room went silent at that and every eye turned towards her. She stirred the food in the pan thoughtfully, glancing up at the sudden quiet. Sighing, she explained, "Amora likes to get at her targets using mundane efforts that makes fighting them…simple or unnecessary all together. Fresh food is always the best for consuming because it reduces the number of hands it has passed through and thereby reduces the chances of being poisoned." Clint set aside his coffee and eyed it mistrustfully. Natasha picked it up and switched it for her empty mug.

Darcy looked up from the dishes that she was washing and eyed the sorceress with interest. "You run across anything poisoned, yet?"

"Not yet, but the restaurant that Jarvis ordered food from two weeks ago has been since closed due to…a string of deaths that can be traced back to it," she said, glancing at each of them in turn. A shiver ran through the room.

Tony glanced at Bruce. "Meet you in the lab in three hours?" When the other scientist nodded, he turned to his fiancé and said, "You're the most easily accessible, Pepper. Take one of us with you whenever you leave the Tower, at least until we confront this Amora."

"I can take Natasha with me. If we reinstate her as Natalie Rushman so it won't raise too many questions," Pepper said, pursing her lips and studying the two assassins. "Natasha, Clint, _would_ you be willing to accompany me?"

"As long as there's food," Clint said, half joking.

Natasha punched his shoulder and he only grinned at her sidelong as she sighed and said, "Of course we'll go with you. The 'Natalie Rushman' identity would allow me to stay close to you while Clint does covert surveillance."

Steve looked like he wanted to volunteer, but he knew that his image was too public. Instead, he settled for asking Sigyn, "Is there nothing we can do until she reveals herself?"

She shook her head and transferred the food from the pan to a plate. "If Loki were here, I could coordinate with him and try to track her using the echoes of the spells that she's cast since arriving, but I don't understand that form of magic as well as my husband so I'm in the dark there."

Tony restrained himself from asking the twenty-three questions that popped into his head as he chose his breakfast from the selection before him. "I'll sleep for three hours, no more, then I need to try to work out that detector," he said, eyeing their resident caster.

"No," she said automatically, handing the pan over to Darcy. "We've had this discussion before. I will _not_ give you the means by which to disable a spell caster, no matter how convenient it would be if it came to battle with Amora."

"Be that as it may, it would be-" he began slowly, ordering his argument.

"_No_," she repeated, swiveling her body to face him. "Would you give me a weapon which I could calibrate specifically to Pepper and trap her in a realm of her worst nightmares made flesh? _Knowing_ that I am married to Loki and that he holds my loyalty first, before all others?"

There was a long silence that stretched between them as Tony tried to think of an argument that he could use to bring her around to his way of thinking, but he always circled back to "_No, I wouldn't endanger Pepper like that." _For all the weapons and mechanics and wires and electricity he could buy and build, he wouldn't give anyone something that could be used to hurt her in any way. He would, in fact, go out of his way to destroy such an object if it existed…as he had done before.

"No," he said at length. "I wouldn't."

"Then if you, yourself, would not do it: _Do not ask it of me,_" she said, snarling the last few words.

Even Thor was silent after that as the easy atmosphere of their morning evaporated with her show of temper. She turned from them all and picked up the dishes that Darcy was setting into the empty sink to be rinsed. Between the two of them, they had nearly finished the pots and pans when the others began handing over their plates and utensils and filing away to their own days. Pepper lingered at the counter, willing Sigyn to glance at her.

The smaller woman sighed and looked at Tony's fiancé. The scientist had long since departed, his food mostly untouched and probably headed down to the lab. "He doesn't always know when to stop pushing," Pepper said quietly. "So don't hold it against him, is all I ask."

After a pause, Sigyn said, "I'll ask Jarvis to remind Bruce about eating and food in an hour." It was as close to a peace offering as she was willing to get, but Pepper nodded and left with Clint and Natasha.

From the living room, she heard Thor ask Jane, "What is this 'Lion King' you wish to watch?"

Darcy shot an amused glance at Sigyn and chuckled. "She's been _dying_ to introduce Thor to Disney since she met him. _I_ call it childhood on crack and steroids coated with dreams and sugar, but _she_ goes all nostalgic when she sees them."

Sigyn studied Darcy for a long moment before she smiled and said, "I know not what this Disney is, but Jarvis has taken to introducing me to the literature of this planet. I have noticed a lack of credible books on sorcery and spells. Most of the tomes that humanity seems to possess are gibberish to me. Is this another form of _childhood_ on 'crack and steroids?'"

At that, Darcy cheerfully launched into an explanation about modern occult and her opinion about humanity's current affinity for the "supernatural" that had exploded in popularity since the thwarted invasion. The number of cultural references that the younger woman made had Sigyn's head spinning, but she could at least grasp the underlying explanation that Darcy was trying to impress on her. As she was winding down on the explanation and the last of the dishes were finally put away, Sigyn glanced out the window and tilted her head.

From her place in the kitchen, Sigyn had a clear view of the sky when it rapidly darkened and lightning cracked across the sky. Frowning at the flagrant display of power, she crossed the room to stand before the . Lightning cracked again and spiraled around itself. It was a display very much like the times when Thor would practice with Mjolnir, but he was in the same room with her.

Who then?

That was about when Jarvis switched all lights over to red and began sounding a general call to combat readiness, directing them to the roof and appraising them of four intruders. On every screen available, Jarvis gave them a visual of what to expect.

In the background, she heard Jane's exclamation and Darcy's muttered curse. Thor's startled oath had Sigyn turning to look at the T.V. their movie had been playing on. She was met with the sight of three familiar figures. Their armor was bloody, torn, and Hogun was carrying an unconscious Sif while Fandral looked to be barely keeping himself standing.

The blood drained slowly from her face as she said, "Jarvis, they are companions and comrades of Thor and I."

"Until sir has altered my orders, I am to treat all uninvited, external individuals as intruders and follow a specific set of instructions," Jarvis answered, almost unheard over the noise of the alarms. "Sir has already suited up to confront them. Might I suggest that you make for the roof now before he engages them?" She had already torn from the room with Darcy barely turning to look at her as Jarvis' warnings penetrated the sound around them. Thor hesitated over Jane and she had barreled by him and whipped around the corner before he registered that she was gone. On the stairs, she passed Bruce at a sprint as Jarvis said, "Sir is in the vicinity of the intruders."

"Tell him to wait, _tell him to wait!_ He's going to get himself killed! Jarvis, get him out of there!" she shrieked.

"Sir is choosing to ignore my advice at the moment," he replied and she doubled her pace.

The stairs fell away beneath her feet as she flew up them and slammed her shoulder against the door to the roof and burst through. Steve was there, his shield up and poised in defense. Hogun had one arm around Sif, three of his throwing knives poised in his free hand, and his eyes fixed on the Iron Man suit hovering not ten feet from him with the left gauntlet repulsor raised and charging to fire.

"No, no, _no! Hogun, stop! Tony, __**wait**__!_" she screamed, still running, but it was too late.

The knives were released, the repulsor fired, and she knew that no magic she knew could be cast fast enough. She leapt off the edge of the building into the open sky. Behind her, she was dimly aware of Thor's bellowed warning, the Captain's response, and then she caught her goal, body slamming against hard, _cold_ metal an instant before she felt the sting of pain slicing through her flesh. The impact of the knives against her back had had gasping and seeing white pockets of light.

A grunt, an oath, and a slight drop in altitude were the immediate results of her actions. Then, Tony's arms were around her, supporting her as blood dripped down her back. "Are you crazy?!" he hissed at her and she felt his hand sliding to touch one of the blades. "They're-"

"-_friends_," she gasped, willing herself not to look down. A fall from this height would kill even a near-immortal like herself. Pain throbbed in time with her racing heart, but its sting was faint compared to what had almost happened. "Allies. Long time comrades." She knew she was babbling, but she couldn't stop. "Fellow troublemakers and blame takers. Followers into danger and shield companions. Family where blood fails and-"

"I get it, princess," Tony said, voice unusually thick even distorted as it was through the mask. She felt the world tilt sideways and realized that Tony had landed and that he was gingerly laying her out on her stomach. "Knife thrower, tell me they weren't poisoned?"

There was a moment of silence and then she heard Hogun say, "They were not poisoned with anything that will cripple or kill her."

She just grunted at them. "Just remove them and I can mend the wounds," she told Tony. "Yank them out and the pain will be more bearable in a mom-" she cut herself off with a yelp when Tony did as she had told him and swiftly pulled the third from her shoulder before she could say anything else.

Eyeing the daggers with a keen eye and casting an expressionless look upon Hogun, Tony straightened and said, "I'm confiscating these. You can have them back in a day or so, when we know you _aren't_ trying to kill us."

"It is a poor joke to slaughter those in a realm where we seek shelter," Hogun said and Fandral eyed him.

"Sometimes I wonder about you," the other warrior muttered, looking more ashen than when they had arrived. He turned his gaze to Thor and said, "In light of recent events, Heimdall thought it best to send us to you. As you may have seen, it was a very hasty sending that he had to do and not at all kind to our wounds."

"What has happened?" Thor asked, glancing discreetly at Sigyn, who had shifted herself into a sitting position to cast her spell.

Fandral grimaced. "The Vanir attacked, demanding Fenrir."

Everyone looked at her. Steve had edged and still held his shield at the ready. Bruce, who had since joined them without Hulking out, gave her a searching glance. Tony watched her features harden and twist with disgust and Thor took three steps back.

She barely restrained her temper to a verbal outburst, recognizing that lashing out at her allies would only hurt her. "Those hypocritical, scheming, lying _**bastards**_**!**"she burst out. "First they denounce _my son_ and now they declare _war_ for him. Their parasitic, _**bitch**_ of a ruler never gave a flying _bilgesnipe_ about him and now _she tries to claim him_."

Hogun had shifted Sif back into his arms and was still eyeing Sigyn dubiously. "They call him their heir," he said and then flinched back when power sparked around her.

"Perhaps we should move this inside," Tony suggested.

She looked at him, at the expressionless mask that he wore, and felt the anger drain away, leaving her feeling drained. He offered her a hand and she grasped it, starkly reminded that she was not the only one to have suffered in a millennia. The back of her neck heated as she realized how childish her outburst, no matter how justified, must have looked to them. For the moment, she _had _to put the situation from her mind and allowed Tony to haul her to her feet. "Will you cancel the alarms?"

"Already done," he answered and then his gaze shifted to the three newest Asgardians that Thor was talking quietly and earnestly to. "If you're sure of them, I will incorporate them into the…ah…guest list." There was another pause in which he looked at her before he added, "I seem to have acquired a penchant for collecting odd guests since your arrival." Then, the repulsors fired and he was lifting off into the air before she could form a reply.

She turned to Fandral and slipped her arm under his shoulder and he leaned gratefully against her. Her spell was already weaving itself around him and sinking its healing properties into his very bones by the time that they were inside the stairway and away from the slanting sunlight that covered the roof. Though she knew he was following her, Hogun's steps were silent. Thor's gait, however, was perfectly audiable, as was his one sided conversation with the smaller warrior.


	19. Chapter 19

Jarvis monitored the vitals and took the usual preliminary readings that he did when the residents of the Tower returned to him and his watchful gaze. _Knowing_ that something had happened to them and being able to assess the extent the damage done meant two entirely different things to him. Sir's vitals, he logged automatically and logged a reminder for himself to quietly arrange for Sir to eat and sleep for twelve hours-something Dummy or Sigyn would help with.

The new arrivals had the same basic physiology as that of Thor. Their body temperatures and the density of their muscles as well as the various wounds were logged into his databanks, but he held off deciding for their dietary needs until he had a better idea of the threat level they posed to his creator. Sir could sometimes be entirely blind to some of the qualities of his guests and even if Sigyn had cleared them, they were still new and unknown-aside from the little Knife Thrower. Knife Thrower would be watched _very _carefully and neutralized upon _any _sign of hostility towards Sir again.

Sigyn, he noted, was moving with little difficulty despite the blood stains that colored her back in three areas. Clinically, he noted that the location of the wounds would have incapacitated Sir's armor and that the length and edge of the knives would have sliced through the protective layers to puncture Sir's kidneys and right lung. With that knowledge, he logged more upgrades to be done on the suit the next time Sir worked on it.

He tracked them into the living room and noted the cool efficiency with which Sigyn approached their wounds. It was the second time he had witnessed such a shift in her and he logged it as a point of interest in case of another emergency that needed such skills. Dr. Banner's approach was similar, but this was the first time he had seen it and was thus noted for further study. As they began to talk, he took note of what was said, but continued to monitor Sir and Sigyn's vitals. They were, after all, two of only three individuals that treated him as something more than a sophisticated machine.

* * *

Steve had since abandoned his shield next to the couch to act as a living rack for the medical supplies Sigyn and Bruce were using to patch up the three new individuals. Sigyn seemed to be spending the most time feeling through the black haired woman's wounds, stripping away the armor with an efficiency that had him looking at the ceiling. It wasn't the first time that he had seen a female soldier stripped like this, but he was no more comfortable with staring at the women than he had been when he had served in the war.

"Paralyzed," Sigyn murmured at last. "Their blades must have been coated quite generously with blood of the Sethlans. It isn't deadly, but it does induce a powerful paralysis that lasts for days-which would be more useful in a battle against foes such as the Aseir."

"That's a-" Thor began, snarling low in his throat.

"-coward's trick?" Sigyn finished for him, slanting her eyes to look sidelong at him. "Perhaps from your vantage point, but not from mine. Strength against strength is all well and good, but I can't put back together someone that has been ripped limb from limb or had his head hacked off. Poison or paralysis is something that I _can_ deal with, so, yes, Thor, I prefer these methods in our enemies. Don't begrudge your friends their lives and bodies for a _coward's_ trick."

Thor's lips just thinned, but he offered no further argument since the debate was an old one between them. The Warrior's Honor versus the Healer's Duty had always been a heated point between the two classes of the Aseir and had never been satisfactorily settled between any of them. For the moment, he decided, he _was_ glad that his comrades had survived the battle intact to bring them news of what had happened in Asgard.

Except…

"Where is Volstagg?" he asked, suddenly realizing it was the first thing he _should_ have asked. "You are never without him. Why did Heimdall leave him behind?"

Fandral grimaced, and not for Bruce's treatment of his leg wound. "He…has reentered the cycle of rebirth, Thor," he said. "The first night that the Vanir attacked, it was only their warriors. The second day…it was a massacre and a slaughter. We were _completely _unprepared for their attack and we were overwhelmed." His eyes took a shadowed look as memory claimed him. "We fought valiantly, we did, but there was nothing we could do to save the wounded that first night and Volstagg was among them."

Sigyn looked up from tying off the last of the bandages for Sif's wounds and fixed Fandral with a look. "The Aseir warriors are among the best in the universe. What did the Vanir bring with them that would overwhelm an army such as them?"

When Fandral bowed his head and refused to answer, Hogun said, "Siege Wolves."

The color drained from her features as she unconsciously gripped Sif's arm. "How many?"

"At last count, sixty," Hogun said. "Heimdall believes there to be a total of three packs. One in the mountains and two among the Vanir."

"So eighty," Sigyn said, looking down and smoothing her hands over Sif's arm.

Darcy exchanged a look with Steve and lifted one shoulder in a shrug. "What is a siege wolf?" she asked like it was the obvious thing.

Sigyn's lips twisted into a sardonic smile. "They are warriors cursed into animal form and granted their former sentience alongside animal cunning and strength. There is no way to undo the spell and few would choose such a life, but for those that do they are hard to kill and even harder to fight. Their hides can only be pierced with a concentrated effort and their claws and fangs are generally coated with a naturally produced paralysis gel," Her gaze flicked to each of them in turn. "They are hard to control…unless you have a White Alpha."

Fandral's head shot up and he stared at her, open mouthed. Thor was only a moment behind him in putting the pieces together and she wouldn't have doubted that Hogun had already put the pieces together, if his carefully blank look was anything to go by.

"And a White Alpha responds only to orders from their bloodline," Hogun said slowly. "Fenrir would respond to you or his aunt as a pack alpha. That is why they attack. They know Odin made Fenrir into a White Wolf."

* * *

Immediately, Jarvis sorted through the search results he had acquired upon looking for the reference in mythology and found…nothing. There was no mention of a White Alpha within Norse mythology (?). Searching though the most recent records he had hacked from SHIELD for Sir brought the same result. There was nothing.

To Sigyn, he directed the question, "What _is_ a White Alpha? What sets it apart? By your explanation, the only thing that makes them special is their ability for command, but command does not necessarily make them different from the rest of the species."

She looked up at the ceiling-it still amused him that she had made a habit of looking at the ceiling whenever she spoke to him-and said, "Legend says-sorry, _our _legends say-that they are the strategists, the strongest, and the center of a web of magic that connects them and allows them to connect telepathically. Without the White Wolf, the Siege Wolves are just very big wolves with interesting fangs and claws and no method to truly communicate with other races. They have to be trained to obey."

"Then, your son is the key to these Vanir controlling their wolves. Is that why they attacked?" he asked.

A grim smiled broke across her features and pulled the corners of her eyes down as she sighed and looked away. "There is a long history there. My son was likely just the tipping point for them," she said as she rose to stand over Sif. "She will wake in a day or so and then I will be able to assess if there has been any neurological damage."

Her tone was detached, but Jarvis caught the flicker of worry that crossed Sigyn's face and made Knife Thrower frown. If he _had_ to guess, Sif was someone that had been Sigyn's companion and friend for a long time. They must have been through a lot together, he noted. He filed that away and turned his full attention to Sir while keeping an auditory channel open to them in case they needed anything.

* * *

He was sitting at his desk, just staring at the three semi-transparent computer screen,s and actually contemplating the food he hadn't eaten earlier when the lights flickered in his lab. He had just finished the initial scan of Hogun's knives and turned the project over to Jarvis, because-really-he could feel the caffeine draining from his body and the hours of working endlessly on project after project were beginning to catch up with him.

"Before you pass out on the desk, sir, I would like to point out that you installed a bed in the workshop three months ago in case something like the' incident-that-is-forgotten' happens again," Jarvis pointed out mildly.

He eyed the computers and chuckled mirthlessly. "You're really going to try it, aren't you?" Tony asked.

"Ms. Potts was clear in her request," Jarvis said. "And I've no doubt that Sigyn would aid me in sedating you, sir…in the interest of keeping you from collapsing."

"I've gone a week without sleep," Tony pointed out.

"Yes, and that was the week that you nearly electrocuted yourself, dressed like Elvis, and almost got arrested for public indecency, sir," Jarvis reminded him patiently.

There was a long silence in which Tony glared at his AI. "Sometimes, I think I made you too smart for my own good," Tony sighed and Jarvis knew a concession when he heard one.

* * *

Inside the space between shadow and light and heat on the dead planet, Loki surveyed the work that had been done. A livable atmosphere and ground that _could_ be cultivated if one worked for it. The shimmering edges of the barrier that divided the dead planet from the small area he had worked for shone when he pressed his palm against it and tested the spells. He snatched his hand back with a hiss of pain and smiled. One last touch and it would be done when the spells finished anchoring themselves into the planet itself.

Moving to the middle of the prison, the words were already forming themselves on his lips. The flow of magic left his hands and, for a moment, he felt it twining with the spells already in place, then it slipped from him and the spell for teleportation snatched him away before the final touch closed on him. With an abruptness that had him stumbling, he blinked and found himself standing in Sigyn's room.

A rueful smile touched his lips as he cast his eyes about the empty room. There was a book discarded on the bedside table and the covers were still rumpled as though she had only just woken. Here and there, his gaze caught on the little things that made the area _hers_. Clothes draped over the arm of a chair. A set of books set on the sill where the curtains just barely covered the windows. A bottle he suspected was scented oil on the top of the dresser. Given another month or two, he was sure she would also acquire jewelry and an assortment of hair pins.

He hadn't _meant_ for the spell to take him to her. He had _meant_ to start the second phase of his plans and begin negotiations with the dwarves and Vanir, but he wasn't surprised that he had returned to her. He knew, without the aid of any spells, that Stark's pet was aware of his presence and monitoring him.

"Where is she?" he asked to the room at large.

There was a slight pause before a voice responded, "I am not authorized to answer questions concerning the residents of this Tower. I would also advise against searching for her. Your presence is tolerated in her room for her sake, but that tolerance does not extend to the rest of the Tower."

Loki felt his lips curling into a smirk as he cast his eyes around the room again, searching for the source of the voice. "And when she was injured?" he asked, already striding towards the door.

"An exception was made for the medical wing _at the time_," the voice answered. "I would strongly advise against that action," it added as he reached for the handle.

The door opened and he stepped into the hall, still smirking.

* * *

Sigyn had just moved onto caring for Hogun's wounds, when Jarvis said, "Ms. Sigyn, I regret to inform you that I have had to take nonlethal action against your guest to prevent them from violating predetermined safety measures."

Thor tilted his head back to look at the ceiling, breaking off a quiet discussion with Fandral. Sigyn barely twitched from sewing a long gash on Hogun's arm as she said, "Are you, perhaps, mistaken, Jarvis? To my knowledge, I have no guests in the Tower. Thor is the only one of us who has brought someone to reside within this residence."

"One might consider him to be a guest of either you or Thor, but I believe him to be-at this time-your guest due to the abrupt nature of his appearance," Jarvis replied.

Her hand stilled before she stabbed Hogun and she glanced upwards. Warily she asked, "What _kind_ of nonlethal action did you take against my husband and _why_ did you deem it necessary?"

"I have done nothing that will cause even temporary bodily injury or altered his senses in any form," Jarvis returned. "Currently, he is asleep in the hall three steps outside your room. I deemed it _necessary_ to subdue him when he would not listen or adhere to the predetermined safety measures. As well, he is still listed as one of SHIELD's top ten most dangerous intergalactic criminals."

"They have a list for intergalactic criminals?" Steve asked, sparing Sigyn having to make a comment.

She sighed and blew a strand of hair from her face. "Let me finish this, Jarvis. I'll be done in three minutes," she said, resuming the stitching of Hogun's arm. "And, if he wakes, _please_ do not subdue him again. Loki likely isn't here to make trouble. If he was, he wouldn't have teleported into my room."

"I shall strive to keep that under advisement," Jarvis replied dryly, giving her the impression that he already had another round of sleeping gas ready _should_ Loki wake.

"I could-" Thor began.

"_No_, brother," Sigyn said firmly, never looking up from stitching. "Appreciated though the thought is, you are one of the last individuals he would wish to see upon first waking up after having been…_subdued._"

Jarvis said nothing to her subtle rebuke and Thor looked only slightly disappointed as he turned his head back to Fandral and picked up the thread of their previous conversation. Beneath her fingers, Sigyn felt Hogun's muscles flex and knew he was eyeing her with interest. "Would he be willing to help?" Hogun asked.

"No," she answered flatly. "Asgard has done nothing for us that would move him to its defense."

There was only the slightest of pauses as she finished the last stitch and tied off the thread before Hogun asked, "And what of you?"

Her eyes darted up to meet his dark gaze. "I fight for those I love and no one else," she said softly. Raising her voice, she said, "Thor, stop talking tactics at Fandral and let him eat something and rest. He likely isn't telling you half of what he remembers due to exhaustion clouding his mind so whatever plans you have already made aren't going to be very helpful. There's still food in the fridge from last night's dinner and this morning's breakfast." Then, she rose and handed off the slightly bloody materials to Steve before making a hasty retreat.

Bruce watched her vanish around the corner as he washed his hands and took from Steve the remaining materials they had used to cleanse and bind the wounds. The two men shared a look before Bruce ducked his head and ran the bloody clothes under the flow of water just to see the crimson of their blood against the silver and, for a moment, marvel that humanity held something so mundane in common with another sentient species.

* * *

Surfacing slowly out of the darkness, the first two things he realized were that his helmet was missing and that warm hands were pressed on either side of his head, framing his temples. Cracking an eye, Loki was unsurprised when Sigyn's worried face greeted him. "You're overextending yourself again," he murmured, slipping a hand up her arm to cradle her cheek against his palm.

Power seeped through them-tugged and frayed, splintering between latent spells and fracturing to settle into their bones. She shook her head free of his touch and withdrew her own from him, straightening on the edge of the bed that she occupied. "And next time that you decide to test how protective someone is, _don't _do it in their territory," she returned, voice sharp.

He frowned at that and studied her, seeing now the deeper lines of worry that creased her lips and eyes. She looked older, he realized. Carefully, he sat up and slid her hands into his as he pressed his forehead to hers. When she finally met his gaze, he said, "Tell me what frightens you."


	20. Chapter 20

Her eyes fluttered closed as she leaned into him, letting her head fall to his shoulder and his arms wrap around her. It was, she thought, almost too easy. She could tell him everything and let him deal with it as he would. That was, perhaps, the sticking point. Loki _would_ take on all her burdens and fight for her, if she let him, but she had never allowed herself to _let_ him take such things from her. A thousand years of marriage had lent her a certain kind of strength where it concerned him.

So, instead, she talked. "Abragoda has created three packs of Siege Wolves to take her revenge against Odin for what Amora blamed on me," she said. "The Vanir attacked Asgard three nights ago and demanded Fenrir. Hogun tells of them calling him their _Heir_, despite that he can never reclaim his former shape again."

Loki's fingers dug into her back and began kneading the tension away. "How is it, then, that you fear for our son?" he asked, letting his armor shift to something more comfortable. "Asgard's fall hardly concerns us, though Odin dying would be…a _trifle_ annoying before I got to him. They are merely paying in blood _now_ for what should have been paid for eons ago."

It was an old argument, an old grief between them, the extent of what every member of Asgard's guilt against them constituted. _She_ didn't count the merchants or the weavers, the unarmed children that had never raised arms or words against them. _She_ counted the faces she could name, the voices she could recall, and the ones who had turned from her when she _begged, _a feat never once repeated or twice remembered_._ Whereas, Loki was simply indifferent to everyone in the realm that had been his childhood, cold and uncaring down to even the last infant so long as he had her.

"What worries me, Loki, is how far the Vanir are willing to go to acquire a White Alpha for their wolves. If they make him desperate enough, Odin will undo the spell that binds my son into that realm and hand him over to the parasitic bitch," she said, rolling her shoulder into his touch.

There was a pause before Loki stated, "Fenrir would be free of Odin's grip." Feeling her muscles tense beneath his fingers, he knew before she spoke that it had been the wrong thing to say.

Sigyn lifted her head from his shoulder and leveled a hard glare at him. "_How_ is that better? A White Alpha is necessary for _giving orders_. Not for being _sane_. Abragoda is treacherous enough that she would _torture_ him into submission."

"Point taken," Loki conceded. "But-"

"Already considered it and there would be little chance of success," she said tightly and leaned against him again, seeking the reassurance only his presence gave her. "Odin would ensure that there would be safeguards against our particular kinds of magic at the time of release for his spell and that is even discounting Amora and Skurge." Silence settled between them for a long moment as his arms settled around her shoulders and he simply held her. She tucked her head beneath his chin and listened to the rhythm of his heart, reassured by the sound of it and the cool warmth of his body. "We're stuck, Loki," she said. "I won't let my boy fall into Abragoda's hands, but the only alternative is to leave him alone in a realm where he is the only living, sentient being and _that_ isn't an acceptable option."

Knowledge settled into his mind like a skin being peeled back from a raw wound. A thousand years with her and he was still blind, sometimes, to the extent to which she would reach for those she loved, with or without him. "You've already decided what you are going to do," Loki said and she drew back enough that she could meet his gaze. "And it's not a plan I am going to like, is it?"

"Not in the least, husband, buts it's something we _might_ be able to work with in more ways than one," she answered

"Tell me, then," he said, still wary.

* * *

As Sigyn talked, Jarvis took note of what she said, made calculations, and adjusted a few details based on what he knew of her and her history. At one point, he asked a question of Thor and made further adjustments to her plan before he presented her with an alternative. Sigyn, he was pleased to observe, lurched for pen and paper around the nightstand at about two minutes after he had addressed her. Loki, however, didn't like that he had "eaves dropped on a private conversation" and he found he still didn't care for the supervillan's opinion.

"If you do not wish me to hear such conversations, I might suggest then that you not converse near one of my auditory receptors for the room or else ask me to mute the function within the room for a certain length of time," he replied shortly.

Sigyn snorted a laugh as she sorted through the notes she had taken of his suggestions. "_I_ knew of what you could do, Jarvis, and I thank you for your input," she said. "This isn't something I'm going to hide from Tony and the others.

The look that Loki was giving the ceiling could only be called suspicious. "You are able to _see_ everything that occurs within this building, then?"

Jarvis combed through his coding for orders that would prevent him from answering honestly, but found nothing. The privacy parameters were not something that were coded as a Category One secret. They were not, in fact, a secret at all. To the question he answered, "After a certain point in the day, certain aspects of my visual functions cease and my auditory functions within personal rooms activate only to certain phrases or under specific conditions."

"Interesting," Loki replied slowly.

She was sitting with one leg curled under her on the edge of the bed, head still bent over the notes, and she didn't even look up to see the speculative glance her husband was giving the room and, presumably, the theoretical layout of the building to say, "Stop it. You already promised not to cause mischief if they took me in." For a moment, he wondered how long it had taken her to divine her husband's habits and personality through the inflection of his voice alone. She had-by her own testimony-been married to the Liar for a thousand years or more.

"I swore not to _attack._ Mischief is another matter," Loki said, breaking through the AIs musings.

"Perhaps so under different circumstances, but not when you are currently eyeing a form of sentient intelligence that is able to function and act independently of his creator. I will also point out that he incapacitated you less than an hour ago," she said fairly.

"That was a miscalculation on my part and _it_ would not be so lucky as to catch me like that a second time," Loki said, still casting an eye around the room.

"_Jarvis_ has proven _him_self an ally. The third night after you left me here? The one that you ensnared thought it would be a good idea to test my defenses. With the state that I was in after the Void sucking me dry and _you_ siphoning my magic, he very well could have killed me if Jarvis had not first woken me and warned me of his approach," Sigyn said and Loki stiffened.

Jarvis observed them with renewed interest. The levels of energy that he had detected within her body that night were recalled and filed with new identifiers. Further calculations were made based on Sigyn's physiology for the enchantress, Amora. Calculations for the Detection Device were altered.

"The _Hawk _dared to attack you?" Loki asked sharply.

Her pen paused in its scratching against the paper as she glanced up at her husband, eyebrows raised a little. "In your roles reversed, you have done much the same and succeeded, love. Granted, most of the time the wife or husband was equally involved, but don't go picking over a thinly scabbed wound such as the one you inflicted. He has made his peace with me and made no further attempts to avenge himself against _us_," she said. "Now, come on, love. Turn your mind from mischief and revenge and help me to smooth over some of the rough edges for this plan. A lot of it is still going to depend on Odin's magical fatigue after having released Fenrir's prison. Planning for the exact location isn't going to work so we're going to have to use spells that don't need a permanent anchor and…"

Loki let her draw him into the discussion, even knowing that most of the plan would go up in smoke at the first stage. It was the planning that made her mind churn with the possibilities and the different branches that could revolve around a situation. Nor did he forget the moments in the past where simply planning had soothed her frayed nerves and provided a sense of _doing_ something even while they waited.

* * *

With Jane and Darcy curled on the couch and Dr. Selvig sorting through the remaining leftovers, Thor paced the living room and tried not to disturb the other inhabitants that were present with him. Fandral had long since been assisted to guest rooms, but Hogun had remained to observe the humans and his prince and look after Sif when those present had been too concerned about her health to move her. The longer that he remained, the more Hogun came to appreciate that he had done so as he observed Thor.

"Tell me again," Thor said.

Hogun described again the devastation that had been his last sight of Asgard before they were sent away. Movement from the hall caught his eye, but he never looked away from his longtime comrade as memory washed over him. The shining walls breached and more than a few of the houses pulled down and burning, the bodies that were scattered and forgotten. The stench had been awful and the howls of the wolves had been too close, too _real_. This, and more, he gave to his prince. "Your father will not allow us to follow the hostages. He will not allow us to do more than defend the palace and those that have retreated into the mountains. Heimdall is beginning to fear that your father has gone mad," Hogun finished.

"It's not that simple," Sigyn said from the hallway. "It never is. Not with Odin. I would not be surprised if he'd been planning this since Fenrir's transformation to snare a pack or two of Siege Wolves without setting Asgard into riot." Her gaze switched to Hogun. "Can you tell me the names or family names of some of those taken hostage?"

"Torrunson, Volla, Hrimhari…" Hogun began as he fell back on old memory tricks to recall each and every name of the hostages that had been told to him.

Thor saw the look of recognition that flickered across her face at a few of the names. "They are merchants and weavers, mostly non-warriors. What is it that you know of them?"

Her gaze flicked back to him and he had to steel himself against the coolness of it. "Odin has…_agents…_among all classes of the Aseir. They are trained to fight in stealth and other arts that are considered…_lesser_…by those of your rank and strength. Some of those taken are of Odin's agents and I _highly_ doubt that they were taken on accident, not with the number of those names. Likely, they were strategically placed in the hours just before the first attack and the others are collateral."

"But that's…that's…_unacceptable_," Thor said. "We cannot sacrifice a number of hostages for the sake of a few being able to carry out their missions."

A ghost of a smile touched her lips as she studied him. "You've grown up well, Brother," she said and carded her fingers through her hair. "I'm glad."

He shifted uncomfortably and turned his face away to catch Jane eyeing him appraisingly with a slight smile curving her lips. That was about when Dr. Selvig said, "Well, then I guess that leaves you only one option, right?" At their curious looks, he continued, "You return and infiltrate the enemy's ranks to free the hostages. Am I right?"

It had been the thought lingering in the back of his mind, the suspicion that Heimdall had sent his longtime comrades in arms rather than a number of other warriors. _If_ he could persuade Sigyn to help him, then there would be five of them-a small enough number to slip in, find where the hostages were being kept, and release them before engaging in combat. He met Sigyn's gaze-saw the narrowing of her eyes, the pull of her lips into a frown-and felt his stomach twist. Without them, it would be an impossible task.

Hogun looked between them and saw the answer before Thor spoke. Something had changed.

"May I speak with you, in private?" Thor asked, steeling himself.

She was already shaking her head before he finished. "There is no need for privacy in this matter, Bother. I know what it is that you wish to ask," she said. "And our answer is yes. We'll fight with you as you would do for us. You will not walk Asgard on your own. There is only one thing that I will ask of you." Her gaze switched to the window as she stared out over the sight that had become so achingly familiar. "If the chance presents itself, I intend to take my son back from Odin and collect the debt he has taken in blood and bone. What I ask is that you do not interfere. Can you agree to that?"

"Yes."

* * *

A/N: At the time of writing this, Abragoda was a name that I believed to be attached to Norse Mythology or Marvel in some way. Upon closer inspection, I have no idea where it came from and by that time the name had attached itself to the story and character and refused to be dislodged.

Thank you to my reviewers: _wbss21, Maia2, Triana2, Ynath Esrith, no-MY name's Anonymous, cutechinchilla27, zazas11, Lalamo, BoredorBoard, and yusukekuramagirl._

Looking back over the reviews, I'm impressed that this story has garnered so many reviews. Thank you, as well, to those that have Followed or Favorited. The sheer number of reviews, follows, and favorites are above and beyond anything I would have thought that this story would attract.


	21. Chapter 21

A/N: After having seen IM3, I am going to say that this story is pre-Mandrin and that you might see some events that could be construed as leading up to the events in IM3. As far as Thor 2 goes, I'm going to hold off on making timeline decisions as far that movie goes. Until then, I'm going to weave this story around the movies and myths that I have available to me.

* * *

At her words, Hogun felt the relief wash through him and sank down beside Sif on the couch. With her, with _them_, it didn't seem such an impossible task that Heimdall had asked of them. Then, his gaze shifted from Thor to Sif and he noted the sweat that was beading her face and the labored way in which she was breathing. Her eyelids flicked open and she gasped, hands reaching for something unseen, before she collapsed again. Sigyn was already darting to her side by the time Sif collapsed.

He hadn't realized he was moving until Thor grabbed his around the chest and bodily hauled him back from his place beside Sif. "Let Sigyn work. We'll only distract her and she's little enough power left to her after healing you," Thor was saying, but he barely heard it. Sif's pale face filled his eyes and he was aware of only one thought pounding through his head: _She has to live. She has to live._

Magic lighting her hands and a frown furrowing her lips, Sigyn looked upon the veins that the spell lit up and felt the blood drain from her face. Red was the color for healthy blood flow and black the color of poison. Around her shoulder, where she had been originally raked by a wolf's claws, there was a knot slowly spider-webbing across Sif's body and already it was too close to her heart. "Poison," Sigyn said softly. "Poison that mimics paralysis."

Another spell was forming on her lips, but the power for it slipped from her fingers, just beyond her grasp as the siphon shifted it away from her. She reached again and felt the magic dance from her grasp like a restless child and she could have screamed for the frustration that welled in her. There was nothing for it. To force the spell would be to cascade everything Loki had worked on _and_ render her weak, sick, and defenseless.

_Yet…_

Her eyes darted to the ceiling as she asked, "Jarvis, I _need_ my husband for this. I've no magic left. Can you make an exception for this or must I have her carried to my room and risk agitating the spread of the poison?"

There was a pause and then Jarvis answered, "An exception can be made, so long as he tries nothing hostile."

She was already up and halfway down the hall by the time Jarvis finished. When she vanished around the corner, Thor released Hogun and stepped forward with him, but it was Hogun that took the place by Sif and cradled her head in his lap. Jane and Darcy slid from the couch as the Aseir moved in to hover and joined Dr. Selvig in the kitchen.

"Are we really turning the living room into a medical wing? Is that sanitary? Are we going to _eat_ here tonight?" Darcy muttered and Jane simply shushed her.

"Move _back_, Thor," a cool, masculine voice said sharply. "You are in my way."

The look that Thor gave his sibling was a slanted one that spoke of a tired patience wearing thinner by the day even as he stepped away from Sif and gave them room. Loki turned from him without further comment and looked down at Sif and Hogun and, without bothering to so much as roll his sleeves up, he began.

* * *

It was a strange council that Clint and Natasha returned Pepper to. Their day had been spent in almost complete boredom as Pepper had dealt with the paperwork and technical issues of her current project for their Clean Energy program**.** There had been no sign of any suspicious activity in her vicinity-if one discounted the slobbering executive that kept hitting on her and wouldn't take the politely phrased "no" as an answer, but Pepper had already issued a discreet order to have him transferred to a firm in Montana.

Back in the Tower, they discovered exactly what their teammates had been up to in their absence. Three new residents-however temporary-and Loki covered in blood, arguing softly with Sigyn. As the elevator doors swished shut behind them, Clint almost wished that he was still on the other side of the door when his eyes landed on Loki's familiar black hair and figure.

Terror gripped him so hard that he forgot, for a moment, how to breathe. Battle and dust, peace and _order_ had swirled around him. _"You have heart, Agent Barton,_" echoed through his mind. Then, his bow was in his hands with an arrow nocked at the level of Loki's head. "Give me a reason," he hissed.

Natasha had taken a position in front of Pepper with one of her wicked daggers drawn and held idle.

Loki half turned to look at him and something hardened in his gaze as he studied the archer. "Hawk," he said, a smirk settling on his lips. "So _good_ to see you again. I do believe we have unfinished business." A feeling of cold dread stole through Clint as he realized that Loki _knew._ Knew and was aiming for Nat, the only one who had ever been something different for him.

"Stop," Sigyn said, catching her husband's wrist. "Loki. _Enough._ An eye for an eye is not how we work."

There was a pause before Jarvis said, "I suggest that hostilities end here. I am authorized to sedate all individuals within the room." Clint glanced up and his fingers relaxed a fraction. Loki's gaze slanted to his wife and he turned towards her rather than the archer.

Pepper was eyeing Loki curiously, her gaze flicking between the new Aseir and their two resident demi-gods. Apparently nonplussed by the shows of animosity, she asked, "Jarvis?"

Responding to the querying tone she used, Jarvis answered, "Three new occupants have been added to the list of authorized inhabitants, all three of whom appear to be companions of Thor Odinson and Ms. Sigyn. The Liesmith was invited at Ms. Sigyn's request when it became apparent that the other female's critical condition exceeded Ms. Sigyn standard four to five spells per day."

"Thank you, Jarvis," she said. Glancing at Thor, she wasn't surprised to see that he had stepped closer to his siblings. The best way to diffuse a situation like this was to simply continue as one had been. Instead of answering Loki's hostility or rebuking Clint for his show of protection, she stepped around the assassins and told Jarvis, "Forward today's files from the ten am and three pm meetings to my personal computer so I can have another look at the proposals. Alert me if Tony emerges from his cave. While you're at it, I'd like an analysis of the current trend for…" Still conversing with the AI, she vanished into the hall.

Grateful for the silent distraction that Pepper had given them, Sigyn physically planted herself between the two assassins and placed her hands on her husband's chest, gently steering him back towards Sif. "As I was saying before, what needs to be done next is a light sleeping stasis to allow her body to enter into healing trance that will enable her to regenerate the blood."

"And I happen to disagree," Loki returned, gaze darting only once over his shoulder before he let his wife claim his attention. "Sif has already entered into a secondary healing trance. Encouraging her to slip further into it could cause neurological damage."

"There are several different kinds of trances that the body can enter into at the same time," Sigyn said patiently and, by that point, most of the other occupants had slunk off to avoid what promised to be a lecture.

Only Hogun and Darcy remained as the sorcerer and healer finally reached a compromise in which Sif was left in her current state with a spell woven into her body timed to activate as soon as the first healing trance broke. By the end of it, Sigyn had enlisted Hogun to carry the other woman to a room designated by Jarvis one floor beneath theirs and recruited Darcy to help in cleaning up the mess that had been made. Loki lingered for a moment, watching the two females, before he wrapped himself in a spell and slipped from the room to tread in a different realm.

When Sigyn felt the cool wash of magic, her smile slipped a little, but she kept going and answered the questions that Darcy was firing rapidly at her. With her arms full of used medical supplies and slightly bloody, discarded clothes, she opened the door to the stairs with her foot, shoulder, and elbow with Darcy at her heels. What had to be done _would_ be taken care of. She knew that, but it didn't stop the blossoming pain in her heart as he vanished without another word..._again_.

* * *

_Warning. Foreign signature. Unknown origin. Caster not recognized._

It had been an idle test, a stray notion to fine tune the calibration of the new function that Sir had installed. There were no protocols, nothing in place to tell him what to do with the input that he was receiving. He ran the scan again, factoring in trace elements of Sigyn's spells and the Liesmith's recent departure. Separating them out and then combining them together again still gave him the same results.

_Warning. Foreign signature. Unknown origin. Caster not recognized._

An active spell within his walls, position pinpointed to…it slipped from him and he backtracked to the last location that had been logged. Too close to Sir for comfort. Activation of the House Party protocol was put into standby, one of the suits charged with energy in case of necessary deployment. Analysis supplied that Sir still wore the bracelets. Another scan.

_Warning. Foreign signature. Unknown origin. Caster not recognized._

The function was still imperfect. Three locations: Sigyn, Banner, and parts for an upgrade in the shop. He directed a visible, direct scan over Banner and Sigyn. They paused in their work to look questioningly at the ceiling. Trace elements detected, but nothing high enough that would have alerted the new function. He cut the feed, logged the results, and directed a scan over the unfinished upgrades.

_Warning. Foreign signature. Caster not recognized. Trace elements suspected in metallic lining. Disposal of material strongly recommended. _

Use of the stand-by suit for the disposal would damage the lab. The link was terminated and the suit shut back into its dormant state. Rapid heartbeat and slight perspiration aside, Sir was still resting and not to be woken for at least another hour, but disposal was necessary _now_ and Ms. Potts was out of the question.

"Ms. Sigyn. Please proceed to the Sir's lab. Your assistance is required. Temporary access has been granted," Jarvis informed the sorceress.

Darcy, he noted, didn't ask any questions as she shifted the material in her arms and took everything from Sigyn. An unlikely development, given what had happened with the girl and her taser, but not unwelcome in terms of Sigyn finding companionship outside of Sir, Thor, and Liesmith. Reviewing the list again and comparing her personality traits led to him making a note to subtly encourage Rogers to spend more time with her. A stabilizing influence between Sir's eccentricities, Thor's intensity, and the Liesmith's…_charms_…seemed like a good idea.

That, however, was filed away with the current situation occupying his attention. Another scan indicated that the trace elements were multiplying. The spell was waking.

* * *

As she ran down the stairs, Jarvis brought her up to date on the situation and informed her of his conclusions. "Another thing we'll have to watch for," she huffed out as she paused outside a secondary entrance to Tony's lab. "Amora's tracked down his suppliers. Any indication of what effect the spell is having?"

"None," Jarvis answered as the locks clicked open to allow her entry. "And, please, do not touch anything but the indicated item. I detect no other trace signatures on the other materials."

The lights came on dimly, enough to allow her to pick a path around the items strewn across the floor. "He's not very clean, is he?" Sigyn chuckled quietly.

There came a soft whirring as one of the objects came to life and tracked her movements. She paused and studied the small robot, squinting until she recognized Dummy. "Is he…" she began, only to trail off as the machine trilled _loudly_ at her.

Across the room, there came a startled gasp and the firing of a repulsor. The lab was briefly illuminated by the blast and then there was a crash and the sound of splintering glass before they were plunged back into the dim light. Movement in the darkness just beyond her sphere of light had her falling into a crouch and tensing her muscles.

"J, what is she doing in here? I don't remember giving any orders to amend access. Unless I was talking in my sleep. In which case, we've already had this discussion, J," came Tony's rapid fire words. His tone was off, too high and tilting a little towards fear, for her to truly relax as she recognized him.

"Tony?" she asked, voice pitched to soothe. "The project you've been working on to detect certain signatures is working, it seems. Jarvis asked me to come down here when he detected unknown trace elements on one of…your…materials…and…" she trailed off again as Tony came into the light, face haggard and eyes not quite focusing on her.

"Sir, there have been some-" Jarvis began.

"Do a scan of the area, Jarvis," Sigyn said abruptly. "Tell me where you sense Tony."

"I do not-"

"Jarvis, subdue her."

The order had her leaping the tables before it left his lips. Sigyn landed on the surface, crouched over the unfinished upgrades even as her feet scattered screws across the floor in a shower of silver. Her hand was curled into a fist, drawn back, and punched through the air. Tone was moving towards her, hand outstretched like he was wearing a suit.

"Sir, I do not-"

"_Subdue her_."

But she had already struck her target. The metal of the unfinished glove splintered beneath her fist and gave a small explosion. Fragments dug into her skin and the heat of the blast made her flinch away, but her gaze remained locked on Tony's form as it flickered and the vanished from existence. "Tricky bitch," Sigyn muttered as she leapt lightly from the table. "Jarvis?"

"Sir is…still in bed," Jarvis said and, for a moment, the lab was lit by the soft blue light of a scan. "Breathing and heart rate are normal. I do not understand."

Her hand flicked idly though the fractured pieces of metal and glass. "It appears that the spell may have been feeding off of the power source in the glove," she said quietly. "The element that Tony uses to power his suits is compatible with magical energy.

"Explain this to me," Jarvis said, tone carefully neutral. "And while you do so, please vacate the area. Sir is still my first priority." She caught the underlying words, the threat and hostility that Jarvis was trying to keep from his tone. She was weakened, he knew that, and she knew he would hold nothing back to subdue her if he thought her a threat.

She cast a long look towards the ceiling. "As you wish, Jarvis," she said and picked her way back to the door. Pausing at the entrance, she glanced back over her shoulder and added, "You may wish to check on him every ten minutes or so for the next hour of three. A spell of that kind isn't an idle thing." Then, she left the lab and moved back up the staircases. Behind her, she heard the soft hiss of metal on metal and didn't have to turn to see that Jarvis was drawing up protections around his creator. She could hardly blame him. It had been far too close.

Silence stretched between them as she paused somewhere between the thirteenth and twentieth floors to lean against the wall and slide down it to sit on the stairs. Tilting her head back, she fixed the ceiling with another look and sighed. "I intend no harm towards your creator, Jarvis. The spells that I cast will never be turned against him. I _can_ promise you that. Of those that occupy this Tower, he alone is safe from me should we ever draw a line and stand opposite each other," she said even as it made her ache to consider the possibility. So little time she had spent with them and already she was forming attachments and sentiments.

"The thought is…appreciated," Jarvis said slowly. "But I would first understand what occurred."

After a pause, she said, "It was an illusion cast to feed off the first individual who interacted with the particular object it was attached to most. In such a spell there are certain underlying compulsions that are woven into the fabric of the personality that it seeks to mimic and, eventually, it would have become a perfect copy right down to the biological material. What you witnessed was the activation of a safety measure before the spell could complete itself."

"I detected Sir rising from the bed and approaching you," Jarvis interjected. "He gave off thermal heat and all the same vitals." It was a protest and a plea wrapped into one that had her sighing and dropping her head into her hands.

"Amora is a crafty bitch and a master of illusions and seduction. Of those in this Tower, Tony was ideal for her spell. This also isn't the first time I've seen her use this particular spell to try and infiltrate the core of a group. We simply triggered it before it could completely map his habits and personality," she said. "And a damn good thing, too. Spells like these will kill the individual that it is meant to mimic."

There was a long pause in which she simply sat there and _remembered_ the days when Amora had been her biggest worry and the schemes that had nearly ripped her marriage apart. She roused herself as Jarvis said, "Perhaps it is best that I incorporate a detection scan with the existing security measures."

She only hummed her approval as she curled in on herself and felt the exhaustion roll over her in waves. Just before she drifted off, she registered the irony of the situation and how she had gotten on Tony for pushing himself too hard just that morning.

* * *

The skin was a perfect match, the bones and facial structures a perfect reflection. Encased within the illusion, Amora wove and danced, smiled and chatted, and reflected on the implicit trust that humans put into their ability to recognize someone by _sight_, by _touch_, by _scent_. They were so very blind. Gestures could be mimicked. Sights, sounds, and smells could be reproduced and a face created from memory and deception. Her prey asked her to dance, led her to the floor and held her close.

One plan destroyed by a spy too perceptive for his own good and another, more subtle one spinning itself around her victims. They just didn't know they were dead, yet.

* * *

_My thanks to my reviewers: wbss21, no-MY name's Anonymous, and Maia2. Expect the next update in the next 1-2 weeks. This next one promises to be a difficult one for me to write._


	22. Chapter 22

A/N: After everything that I wrote for the last chapter, my brain went automatically from writing Amora as creepy and scary to spinning a scene with FLUFF! And then everything else fell into place along the way.

"New" post was just to fix a few errors found in chapter.

* * *

When she woke, the first thing that she was aware of was warmth. The next thing that awoke with her consciousness was the knowledge that she was _not_ curled up on the stairs where she had…fallen…asleep. Lovely notion, that, she rebuked herself. Really, not the best idea she had ever had. Stairs were not something that one used as a bed. How many times had she told Loki that?

That was about when she realized that her pillow was moving, just slightly, just enough that she hadn't noticed it when she first swam towards consciousness, but there it was, a steady movement like someone was breathing. Blinking the sleep from her eyes, she tilted her head back and suppressed a smile when Loki's fingers combed through her hair. The book that he was holding with one hand came down so that she could see his face and the chagrined smile that touched his lips. Her arms tightened around his chest in a hug and she turned her face towards his shoulder to inhale his scent.

He'd come back, so soon after having _left_. She hadn't expected him to return, not for an assault on Asgard like she had proposed. Awareness slowly crept through the rest of her body as the fog of sleep lifted from her and she became aware of exactly how tangled she was with him. She hadn't draped herself across him in her sleep, but she _had_ rolled into him and shifted her legs around his and held fast to every inch of cool warmth she could feel of him.

His fingers carded through her hair again and settled on the back of her head, simply holding her. When he spoke, she heard the words and felt the sound vibrating through his chest. "You've been asleep for the past ten hours," he said quietly. "Stark's pet had to direct me to where you were passed out on the _stairs._" The way he said it brought forth all the memories of those times _she_ had been the one to find _him_ and it set her off laughing.

She lifted her face to smile at him and then moved so she was straddling his hips to lightly press her lips to his in a chaste kiss. Sliding from the bed, she saw that she was still wearing the same clothes from the day before and that they smelled slightly more of body odor than she usually liked of her clothes. Digging a fresh pair from the closet, she draped them over her arm and turned back to Loki. "Ten hours is a long time to be left in a spot like that and he wouldn't have just _left_ me lying there for longer than an hour…probably less."

"You were asleep in the hall for approximately twelve minutes and forty-three seconds before I alerted Captain Rogers to your position," Jarvis said, answering her unspoken question. "The Liesmith's return shortly thereafter rendered any further aid from the Captain unnecessary."

Loki's lips thinned a little as he looked around the room for the source. Sigyn simply looked at the ceiling and said, "Thank you, Jarvis, but would you allow us some privacy?"

"Of course," Jarvis answered, his tone dryly amused. "Auditory receptors will power down to minimum input. Just call me by name should you need anything."

"Thank you," she said and Loki looked only minutely less suspicious.

"This…_thing…_reminds me of Heimdall," he muttered and she only chuckled.

"Very different personalities, though," she pointed out and he only shrugged. The smile slipped from her lips as she studied him. "Where did you go? I thought you _left_ to avoid returning to Asgard." It wasn't a question that she usually asked of him, but-with their imminent return to Asgard-it was prudent to know if there were any new topics she had to talk around.

He set the book aside and rose to stand in front of her. His palms were surprisingly cool when he cradled her face between them. "No. Never. Thor and I may have our…_difficulties…_but I would never abandon you. I would never _let_ you return to Odin's presence-even the _possibility_ of it-without being there myself. Before…when last I was here and you had been injured, you made a fair point concerning the dwarves and the Vanir. I did not mean to return to you when I did, but your need of me drew me back before I could continue with my plans. I had _intended_ to try to bargain with the dwarves before seeking you out."

"Loki, love," she said patiently. "Don't try and speak around what you did. That play on words trick may work on most, but please do me the courtesy of treating me as your _wife_ and don't try it on me."

He blinked, reviewed the words he had spoken, and smiled ruefully. "My apologies, I wasn't trying to misdirect you," he said and then turned from the pained understanding that flashed across her face. He had almost managed to take two steps away from her when her arms wrapped around his chest and waist and her warmth molded against most of his back and shoulders. He hadn't realized that _trick_ had become _habit_ had become _normal._

"You make it easy, sometimes, to forget how very long I've been…_away_," she said, pressing a kiss to exposed skin of his shoulder. "Whatever is different, however you've changed, I can adapt to it…_we _can adapt to it. Just don't…shut me out, love. I can't adjust if you walk away every time that I make a mistake about your gestures and words."

She loosened her grip on him when he turned in her arms to look at her, but she didn't let him go. He wasn't good with this part of their relationship, wasn't always _sure_ of sentiment when it came up, so he accepted her words and gestures and picked up the thread of conversation where they had left it and carded his fingers through her hair again, gratified when she leaned into his touch.

"With the situation with the Vanir what it is, I thought the dwarves would be our best chance to negotiate with. My reception was far less welcoming than I thought it would be," he chuckled.

"You appeared in the middle of court? Am I right?" she guessed, smiling at the satisfied smirk that crossed his lips.

"Not far from it," he admitted. "I actually teleported into a bathing house while the…ah…ladies of court were…well, you get the picture. Not wasn't my most accurate of landings." She was laughing and holding tight to him to remain standing. She pressed her head into his shoulder to muffle the laughter, but he could still feel and hear it while she fought to regain herself. While she was still laughing, his hands settled on her hips and he simply held her, drinking in the sight of her amused and happy.

When she could finally breathe enough to draw breath, she turned her head on his shoulder so she could see him. His gaze was slanted as he met her eyes, a smile of his own settling over his features. She was still grinning and chuckling as she said, "Not the most picturesque of images that one would gather when looking for the might and grandeur that the dwarves so often boast of."

"No. You've nothing to worry for when I stumble across a building full of wrinkled old nags that send up a banshee-like shriek upon seeing a male," he said and it set her off again.

This time, she actually had to let go of him, drop the spare clothes on the ground, and sit on the bed to clutch at her sides and try to breathe. Several times, she almost had herself under control before she was reduced into another helpless fit of giggles. Loki stood over her for a moment and then took a seat next to her, close enough that his thigh was pressed against hers and he could take one of her hands. He had forgotten this, these moments where it was just _them_ and he was amusing her with how his plans had gone wrong.

"So that…didn't go…as planned," Sigyn gasped, still laughing.

"No," he agreed pleasantly. "Their guards were alerted and a fight ensued. A very one sided kind of fight with a clone while I set out in search of their king." Her laughter died with that and the look that she gave him was one part amused and one part wary. "Three guards were killed, but not from anything that I directly inflicted on them, and none of the royal family are dead either."

"But most of them are missing and you left their guards and court in a fair state of panic," she guessed at the way his smile thinned and curved.

"Something like that," he admitted. "In either case, the dwarven royal family was deposited naked in another realm where they will not trouble us until this situation with the Vanir is resolved and at that point I am willing to bet that they will agree to any treaty that Thor presents them with."

"As long as we are kept well away from them," she supplied, tilting her head back when he leaned in closer to her.

"Something like that," he repeated and then he was kissing her, hard and hungry. Her hands slipped to the hem of his shirt and, after that, there were no more words between them after that.

* * *

It was Bruce in the kitchen, hunting out some of the food that Sigyn had made for them, when Jarvis said, "You will be shortly joined by the Liesmith." He tensed and looked at the hall where most of the other Tower occupants stayed. Sure enough, Loki was there, regarding him with an equal amount of wariness.

"Beast," Loki said and Bruce recognized the greeting and offering of peace in his tone.

"Liesmith," he returned and then turned his attention back to the fridge even as he felt the Hulk stir to awareness. "Don't touch the wrapped sandwiches. Those are Tony's and Pepper will find a way to make you regurgitate them if you eat food specifically made for him." For himself, he grabbed something in tinfoil and walked around the counter to put something between him and their would-be dictator. It wasn't necessarily Loki he was concerned about, more like the collateral damage the Hulk would incur if provoked.

Loki only nodded as he made for the coffee maker and, to Bruce's surprise, operated the machine with a deftness that produced a steaming mug of cappuccino. Leaning against the counter, the two males regarded each other. Silence settled over them as both refused to retreat and admit more than wariness.

"Stark still has the crater?" Loki asked, sipping at his coffee.

"Right where you left it," Bruce answered.

"Ah, yes, like a child waving about a trophy, he _would_ keep it," Loki snorted.

"Right, Dancer, like you have anything to harp on with your shiny Christmas armor," Tony said, appearing around the corner of the hall and making a beeline for the coffee. With a mug in one hand, he pointed a finger at Loki and added, "Your friend, the Enchantress, is one hell of a _bitch_. I had to scrap a _month's_ worth of upgrades after her little show last night. Jarvis wouldn't let me keep anything that came with that piece."

"A wise precaution," Loki commented.

"Uh…Tony," Bruce began, fixing the other scientist with a look.

"What? Oh!" Tony said. "Amora tried a cheap shot and between Jarvis and Sigyn it was taken care of."

"And him?" Bruce asked, nodding at the suddenly smirking Loki.

Tony just grunted and gulped down his coffee. "After what Sigyn has done for us? Yeah, no, not pissing her off. I like having my spleen where it is," he said, pouring another mug of coffee and fixing Loki with a look. "You're free to wander around this floor within the areas open to everyone, but anything else and Jarvis will subdue you…again." Tony smirked as he recalled the security footage that had been made into his desktop background. Loki just looked livid at that, but before he could say anything a high shriek broke the peace that had been their morning.

Doors along the hall crashed open as Steve, Natasha, Clint, and Thor came bolting out of their rooms in varying states of dress. Fandral and Hogun burst into the hall, weapons drawn and armor absent. Jane and Darcy hovered in their doorways, watching in bewilderment as Sigyn burst out of her room and doubled over. Tony, Bruce, and Loki came around the corner and Loki froze at the sight of his wife doubled over, gasping, and gripping the hem of her shirt in both hands.

"Sigyn?" Thor ventured, his grip on Mjǫlnir relaxing a fraction.

Clint and Natasha exchanged a glance and dropped their grip on their own weapons while still maintaining an offensive readiness. Fandral took one look around the assembled warriors and then vanished back into his room to retrieve some clothes since he had opted to sleep naked.

When Sigyn had regained her breath, she looked up at Loki and fixed him with a hard look that had Bruce and Tony backing away from the other male. "You _bastard!_" she shrieked and, when she started towards her husband, he backed towards the middle of the living room, hands held defensively in front of him. "You left a _clone_ with me!"

"You sleep well so very little, I didn't want to disturb you," Loki said, tone pitched to soothe. He had _known_ there was a possibility she would react like this, but…"I didn't realize you would wake so soon." Her resistance to sleep spells must have grown in the Void. She _should_ have slept another three hours, long enough for the clone to vanish and let her wake naturally.

"A _clone_, Loki! By the Nine, they _terrify_ me! Or did you _forget_?!" she shrieked, seizing a lamp from an end table and chucking it at him. It caught on a shield spell and was reduced to a spray of fine dust. She'd already known it would happen, but it made her feel better and allowed her to modulate her tone so she wasn't screaming or accusing. "You did, didn't you?"

"No. I remember perfectly well," Loki said reluctantly, eyes flicking to their audience and then back to her. He stopped backing away from her when they were out of easy grab range for any more items and added, "It took me over a decade to undo the damage that Amora did to you with my image." Ten years, nine months, six day, twenty-two hours to be exact-_if_ he felt like getting technical. When she was close enough, he grabbed her wrists before she thought to begin punching his shoulders. "I _am_ sorry." Distressing her had never been his intention.

Her anger broke with that and she thumped her forehead against his collarbone. "By the Nine, Lok', we're a pair of messed up fools," she whispered. "You try and do something kind for me and I pull an Amora on you. I am sorry for freaking out."

When they had been silent for a long moment, Tony said, "Nice legs, but maybe you should put on some pants before Steve goes into cardiac arrest. In fact, why don't we _all_ get dressed and reconvene in twenty minutes for breakfast and tactics."

Steve only leveled Tony with an amused glance before saying, "I'm from the '40s, not the 1800s, but you make a good point. Clothes would go a long way towards making any discussion more productive."

There was some shuffling as everyone pressed back into the hall and shifted around one another to reach their rooms. Thor and Jane were the only ones to hesitate in their retreat-Jane because she was waiting for Thor and Thor because he couldn't quite bring himself to leave while Loki wasn't actively attacking him. Loki met his gaze and then fixed his eyes on a point just over Thor's shoulder.

"Get _dressed_, Thor. I've no desire to look at you in your underthings while we discuss _tactics_," he drawled and Thor felt himself go red before he retreated to his room.

When it was just Loki, Sigyn, Tony, Bruce, and Darcy, Darcy eyed the god of mischief and asked, "Soooo, can I-"

"No," Sigyn said automatically. "You are not tasering my husband, Darcy. Not after what happened to me. If Amora pops in, feel free to skip asking permission and head straight for electrocuting her. It'd save everyone a giant headache."

"There's an idea," Darcy said before vanishing into her room.

Sigyn's entire body shook with suppressed laughter as Loki stared after the human woman, baffled. Shaking his head, he asked Sigyn, "Are we good?"

"We're fine, Lok'," she sighed. "Just _please_ don't do it again while I'm asleep."

"Agreed," he said and released her wrists. "Now get dressed, please, lest I contemplate setting the next human who looks at you on fire." She only chuckled again when she tilted her head back to smile tiredly at him.

By the time everyone returned, Tony had managed to unearth the last of the leftovers and something that looked suspiciously like instant oatmeal from the fridge and cupboards. He was studying the side of one box with such keen interest that Sigyn had to slide the container away from the genius and read it herself before she dropped it into the trash. "That…was six years old," she said pleasantly.

"Indeed," Tony said cheerfully. "So, who gets to travel by way of intergalactic highway?"

* * *

_Thank you to my reviewers: wbss21, Flavio S, Maia2, and no-MY name's Anonymous._


	23. Chapter 23

The city spread out beneath her like captured, fallen stars. Leaning against the concrete ledges, she watched the rushing of the headlights on the street and absorbed the sounds that told het human life was abundant in this area. Murmuring voices and screeching metal and the scent of stone marked them as different from Asgard and she was sorry to leave them. Three weeks that she had been there, almost a month, and she could call Earth more of a home than Asgard had ever been.

Footsteps paused behind her and she turned her head only a little to identify Tony's outline before she turned her attention back to the city below. "I've never been very good at waiting, you know, and I hate to be left behind," he said conversationally, walking closer. "I understand your reasons, but Thor has pulled our collective asses out of the fire plenty of times. _Any_ of us would have been willing to join you and you elected to take _none_ of us with you."

Blunt and straight to the point that had been a festering wound the entire day. It had been a long, hard fought argument that morning in which harsh words were traded and even harsher realities rubbed in each respective individual's face. Old scars had throbbed to life and nurtured resentment until the decision had been snarled out and most of the Avengers had departed for their different, favored area of the tower. Tactics, after that, had been a subdued topic that Loki and Thor had mostly outlined after having drawn from Hogun and Fandral what they knew of the Vanir's various positions.

Sigyn glanced idly at the scientist and noted the bottle that he carried in one hand. Sighing, she again recounted her reasons for leaving each of them behind, "Dr. Banner is a walking green rage monster as liable to turn on me as our enemies and blind strength isn't something we need for a rescue. Clint is still skittish of my husband and I don't trust Natasha to not try and exact revenge against Loki for what was done. Captain Rogers would be…_ideal_…for our situation, but he is your leader. And you? Tony. _You_ are the most human and most vulnerable of this little group without your metal armor. I'm not even certain how Asgard's magic would respond to your Arc Reactor and _that_ could leave you dead." She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. "I am worried about Amora, as well," she admitted. "If we take _any_ of you, then how well would those left rally against her should the worst happen?" She chuckled and pulled lightly at her hair while studying the stars overhead. "And now I'm just preaching at you. This isn't the reason I asked Jarvis to relay that message."

He was silent for a moment and then she heard him close the distance between them. When he came into her peripheral, he set the bottle down on the ledge and leaned against the edge with her. "Fine whiskey, this one. I thought you might like to try some _vintage_ Earth alcohol before you vanish forever," he said.

It was as close to a peace offering as she had ever seen him come, but it was alcohol and she knew better than to imbibe any type of spirits before traveling across realms with Loki. Still…her fingers traced the neck of the bottle as she read the label. "Perhaps another time," she agreed. "I _do, _after all, plan on returning. That's why I needed to speak with you."

Tony looked at her sidelong. "Well, then I'll keep the bottle in reserve. Just in case," he said.

Her grip tightened briefly on the glass neck before she released it. "Thank you," she said and then turned her head to study him. She realized she had been silent for more than a minute when he frowned at her. She sighed and then said, "Right, no point in walking the fringes around it. I intend to bring my son to Earth when everything is said and done. I don't care who rules Asgard, Thor or not. Fenrir is going to be too sorely tempting a prize to ignore for any length of time and that means when I bring him here, I am going to want a safe place for him, somewhere far from the cradle of civilization where I can weave certain spells for him. He wouldn't be a captive there, but it would be someplace where he could hide or call home if he wanted to. It…" her eyes lost focus for a moment as she thought about the different variables. "It would be a place I would, eventually, like to bring each of my children to. Will you find this place for me, Tony? In return, I would give you what knowledge that I have of magic and assist in your various projects that will evolve from that knowledge."

"Why not find it yourself? Why _ask_ for help?" Tony asked and she could see the way he tensed. It was like...he expected there to be an ulterior motive.

She was quiet for a long moment. How best to settle his mind that she wasn't about to turn her magic against everything and everyone he had ever loved? "It's been near a thousand years since last I was here. _Then_, you were not quite so numerous or so ingenious with your methods of death. I could have turned in all directions and found what I needed now, but time is not something that casters like messing with. I don't know your world today and I've no time to study the land. I have only faith in a few inside this planet and you are the one I would ask for this."

He turned his back to the city and studied Sigyn's tense profile. An idea that he had been toying with for a while finally unfolded itself in his mind. "We're not always going to have Thor, you realize, and what it sounds like to me is that you're planning on displacing the current ruler so Asgard can have a better monarch very soon. So, that means the Avengers are going to lose one of their…founding members."

The light from the city below was reflected in the whites of her eyes when she looked at him sidelong. That was...not an unanticipated request, but still one that had caught her off guard. If it was to be in _addition_ to what she had already offered, then Tony thought very highly of himself and his planet. "You would have me…_defend_…the Earth as well as share my knowledge with you? You desire for me to take Thor's place?"

"When you put it like that, no. That's not what I want. Asgard doesn't want you and, judging by how Loki left you with us, he doesn't trust the other realms enough to even contemplate leaving you there, however temporary. Hell, you even want to bring your son here, so _that_ tells me you plan on sticking around for a while," Tony pointed out and Sigyn only hummed her agreement. "What I was _suggesting_ was that you make Earth your home and help us to defend it, if or when threatened."

There was a long silence between them. "And Loki? If he decided to try another invasion?" she asked. Best they understood now that where she went, Loki was sure to turn up eventually with one of his mad schemes.

Tony shrugged, not quite meeting her gaze. "We'd fight him to the end, just like last time…and you. We'd fight you, him, and his allies to the bitter end, but _I'm_ hoping that he keeps his word and remains neutral," he said. "Until then, we'd welcome you as a friend and comrade."

She was quiet for a long time after that and Tony was content to let her think. It was, at best, an unholy alliance born from a thwarted invasion and paid for with the blood of ten-thousand human lives lost in that same attack. At worst, he'd just ensured Earth's fate would fall into the hands of two very powerful magic users who had no particular attachment to the planet. Looking at her, though, and knowing what he did about her, Tony found himself strangely unafraid of any future that _might_ involve her as one of humanity's rulers.

"There would be conditions," she said slowly. "And promises that would need backing." To have a home, a _real_ home in one of the realms, where its people were not actively seeking to end the lives of herself, her husband, and her children was a powerful thing to consider.

He smiled, _really_ smiled, and repressed the whoop that was building in his throat. "We can negotiate when you aren't pressed for time. You can get back to me or SHIELD when you figure out what exactly you want in exchange for helping the Avengers, or Earth in general," he said and she smiled wryly.

"SHIELD being the organization that wanted to imprison and torture me when I first awoke? Yeah. No. I'll let you handle the negotiations and dealing with them," she said. Then, she hesitated and asked, "What of request I made? Does that factor in or is it separate?"

"If, say, I stumbled across an island or two and purchased them, no one would question my eccentricities and, likely, they would assume I was drunk at the time of purchase. Say I go one step further and gifted them to an associate, no one would blink twice. So, no, don't worry about it. After yesterday, I think buying you some land would more than cover that score between us," Tony answered, making his decision on the spot. She had, after all, gone so far above and beyond anything he had hoped she would do.

"The…_score_…is a debt that exists between us, yes? If that is the case, then I owe you more than that," she argued.

"Ah, no," Tony shot back. "Taking you in was justified by the modification that I was able to equip Jarvis with and then you went one step further and saved _my_ life from Amora's demented spell. Oh, and let's not count the time you pulled that spell out of Bruce, how many times you've looked for poison for us, _and_ you talked your husband down from attacking Clint."

"But-"

"No," Tony said flatly. "There is no debt, no negotiating of terms for this. I'll get you your land and that's that. Anything beyond that is selfish. I don't want your knowledge and assistance with _any_ projects unless it's an exchange of ideas between…_friends._ Between friends. Science could benefit a lot from what you're willing to share, but it's not something I will coerce you into."

"You've only known me for three weeks, Tony," Sigyn pointed out.

"And I've only _known_ most of the Avengers for a few months, but I'd call each of them a friend. It took me less than three days to start trusting Rhodey. I knew Happy for two hours before I offered him a job as my _bodyguard._ And Pepper? Don't even get me started on her," he chuckled, looking fond. "What about you?"

Sigyn smiled and turned her gaze fully on him. "The only true friends I have ever found were the Warriors Three and Sif. Thor is my brother, blood or no, and Loki is my husband. Of the mortals that I have met, you and Steve Rogers are the closest I have ever come to calling _friend._ If Clint could set aside his history with Loki, then I might be willing to call him and Natasha friends. With Bruce…" and here she frowned as memory tugged at her "…as long as he doesn't go green and start screaming 'Smash' with _me_ or one I care for as his objective, I think I could work with him…as a friend and fellow researcher."

"_There_ you go. Work with us as a friend on this sort of thing, not as part of an agreement. Withhold the information you think might lead to something that could hurt your husband or children and share what might be beneficial to all parties involved," Tony said. "Let me take care of your request and consider that an end to all debts."

"You are a strange human, Tony Stark, one of the strangest mortals I have ever met," she chuckled. "But, yes. I think I will accept your…_offer_…and return as a friend rather than as one that owes a debt. This shall be…a most interesting development."

* * *

In Fandral's opinion, Loki appeared to be far too smug for the situation at hand. Sure, he was still wounded and not _quite_ fighting ready, but that didn't mean that the sorcerer had any right to look so amused by his discomfort. Really, though, Sigyn-or really _any_ other healer-was preferable to Loki, because _they _were _trained_ in how best to alleviate the pain of their patient. After all, he _had_ always considered Loki to have a slightly sadistic streak.

Finally cornered and out of reasons as to _why_ he was avoiding a last healing and check-up from either Loki or Sigyn, Fandral had his back pressed to the wall and was glaring at Loki's falsely assumed "bedside manner." Loki wasn't a healer and there had never been any subtlety to that fact in his healing spells and the way that power simply ripped through their bodies, forcing skin to knit back together and bone to reconnect.

The spell had left him gasping, twitching, and crouched. It wasn't an altogether pleasant image that he would have presented to the female species when trying to impress them. He was, at the least, _alive-_which was more than some of Loki's targets could say. Patting Fandral's cheek, Loki leaned close and whispered, "The next time that you decide to _look_ at my _wife_, there will no warning. You will simply find your skin turned inside out."

Fandral found himself revising his opinion of Loki's personality. Then, he revised his opinion of what was acceptable to flirt with. Slightly sadistic, aloof, _and_ possessive mixed with an angry, powerful sorcerer were not healthy for his survival.

* * *

From his place within the mountains of Asgard, Heimdall wiped his blade clean of the wolf's blood, glancing about at the warriors that had accompanied him on the ambush. It didn't escape his notice that of the thirty odd warriors he had taken, only the youngest and least inundated of their culture's values had survived. The older warriors had charged, bellowing and waving their weapons like charging boars. _That_ had lasted exactly a minute before they were fileted with arrows or ripped apart by teeth and claws. Useful as a distraction and a means of drawing attention to a certain target, but the ambush had been won with the hit-and-run tactics Heimdall had Seen the humans use time and again.

Watching the younger warriors help each other tend to their wounds and clean blood from their faces, he wondered if Asgard had not been stagnant long enough. Perhaps it _was_ time for a change in the Warrior's Code.

* * *

His hands, Sif noted, were surprisingly gentle in their direction as he checked over her for the third time since the healing trances had lifted. Sigyn had been the one that she had first woken to see, curled in a chair and a book held in one hand even as her eyes didn't move with the words. _That_, she wasn't proud to admit, had been a reunion that involved her flopping out of the bed to try and hug the sorceress that had been…_missing_…for near two-hundred years and there had…_maybe_…even been a few tears. Then, Sigyn had been business-like in her examination and since declaring her free of concussion or poison, Loki had been the one to see to her.

Looking at him now, feeling his fingers probe for breaks along her arms, it was hard to _not_ remember that he was a Jotuun who had nearly brought three realms to their knees. She wasn't sure she was comfortable with his hands on her in any form or fashion, old comrade or no. Her gaze darted to Hogun again, who had not moved from his place by the window.

"Why is it that you play the role of healer, right now? On the night before we return to Asgard?" she asked. "Why not Sigyn? I remember that you _hate_ healing magic beyond its basic function."

He regarded her coolly and she remembered, too late, just how long Sigyn had been missing. If Hogun's words were to be trusted-and she usually did trust him-then Sigyn had been in the Void and _that _wasn't exactly a place that was conducive to replenishing magic or strength of any sort. She would have been stranded in the empty space between realms. Any magic she had would, undoubtedly, be saved for the rescue they were embarking on in the morning.

"She will, at a later date, resume her duties as healer, but not tonight," he said and his tone suggested an end to the particular thread of conversation. Sif asked nothing else and he offered nothing further. When he was done, he broke the spells that had been cast over her and said, "A full night's rest should see you fully healed." Then, he left and Sif stared after him, feeling slightly bereft and not quite understanding _why._

* * *

It was always the night before that found her restless, the unrelenting _waiting_ that drove her mad. The last few hours before plans were put into action left her pacing and Loki amused at her frustration. He had always been the one to pull her back from the adrenaline and coax her to sleep for a while before everything. In the then and now, with his talk of a new spell and its different components and functions, she could almost believe that they had never left their previous home.

* * *

_Thank you to my reviewers: chipfairy, wbss21, Flavio S, Maia2, and no-MY name's Anonymous._


	24. Chapter 24

A/N: This monster of a chapter is probably my most favorite chapter to date. Thank you to all my new Favorites/Followers.

* * *

When dawn broke, those that were departing were armed and armored-except Sigyn, who had neither-and waiting on the platform that was Tony's landing site for Iron Man. Loki eyed his wife uneasily, knowing how she preferred to fight and _knowing_ that the siphon hadn't quite broken. He would have liked to have put their departure off another day, but that would have required an explanation to the group at large what spells, exactly, required so much power to be drawn from her and him. He had-of course-offered to conjure her armor of her own and weapons that would have been balance exactly for her, but she had refused-of _course_-on the notion that they would need every ounce of magic between them for the coming fights.

Tony stood a short distance from the small group of the Aseir, with one hand stuffed in a pocket and the other clenched tightly around the neck of a long, wrapped package. The rest of the team had said their good-byes and elected to watch the departure from _inside_ the tower where they were warm against the brisk, morning air. "Oi, princess," he called and Sigyn looked from Sif to him. "J ordered you some parts. Thought you might want them before you leave." He tossed the package at her and she stepped forward to catch it, grunting in surprise at the weight and awkward shape. "It isn't armor. Jarvis couldn't calculate for an atmosphere and gravity he has no information on, but he _did_ manage to scrape together enough info about your weapons to order you something."

_Well,_ Tony amended silently, _the technical term is "_stole"_ for one of those pieces._ Not that he was ever going to admit to it.

The paper was shredded and he grinned when her eyes went round and then went to Loki. In her arms were two daggers and the scepter that Loki had used to lead his failed invasion. Loki had stepped towards her, his fingers wrapping around the scepter to lift it away and allow her to check the balance of the remaining blades. They engaged in a short, heated conversation Tony couldn't make out, but it ended when she tucked the daggers into her outfit and accepted scepter from her husband. Loki, for some reason, nodded gratefully at him and turned away.

Her gaze flicked to him and she smiled. "My thanks, Tony. Give it to Jarvis as well," she said.

"Just return in one piece and you can tell him yourself," Tony said, turning to wave briefly at them over his shoulder.

In his retreat, he heard Loki say, "This isn't going to be pleasant," as Fandral uttered a yelp that was cut short. He didn't have to turn back to know that they had gone in a brief distortion of air around them. That was it, then, they were gone to make war and that was that. They'd make it out, they always did, but it didn't stop the knot of worry that settled over his heart.

Maybe it _was_ time for a change of scenery.

* * *

Traveling by way of Bi-frost energy had never been their favorite means of travel, but it was much more preferable to traveling between the seams of the realms and slowly suffocating in the coldness of space. When they stepped back into Asgard's outer forests, Hogun crouched down and placed his hands on the ground, Sif staggered into Fandral and sent both of them crashing to the ground, and Thor looked a little greener than usual. All of them were fighting to regain their breath while Sigyn drew Loki aside and, together, they wove a spell. If one of the warriors had been observing them, they would have seen the complicated movements of Loki's hands weaving around Sigyn's hands and seen the way the magic shimmered between them as it settled.

When it was done, Sigyn shoved the scepter into his hands and shook her head when he tried to give it back. "You need it more than I, love, and you know how to use it," she said, stepping away. "Mine is a small part."

"Yours is a _visible_ part," Loki said softly. "And you've little enough magic after that. Your defenses have been stabilized, but how long will that last?" He paused and then added, "Stark's pet has the ability to measure how much power we have at a given moment, yes?" She nodded slowly and he pressed that to his advantage. "Then he would have known that your power is not quite what it should be and looked to give you some sort of advantage to increase your chances of survival. I will have Thor, Hogun, and Fandral. Between us, we have never been captured. You and Sif cannot say the same."

Her hands closed around his on the scepter as she leaned forward to kiss him. When she stepped back, his fingers had slipped from the scepter to leave the full weight of it in her hands. The weight of it vanished from her hands as she cloaked its form and power. As the full length of the plan was finally disclosed to their other companions, Thor and Sif looked like they wanted to protest.

"Are you _sure_ you're up to this?" Sif asked, studying the smaller woman.

"If I wasn't, I wouldn't have suggested offered to stand as the distraction," Sigyn said with a rueful smile.

That was true enough. Sigyn had never pushed the fullest extent of her limits without a very good reason and a very good plan backing her, but she had never fought to regain one of her children like this. The circumstances were less than ideal, but it was their plan and Loki had never led Sigyn astray as Sif recalled. Looking at him now, though, seeing the way he watched his wife, it was like there was something else they weren't being told, but there was no time to question it. The plans were settled and Sigyn departed with Sif at her heel.

Thor, Hogun, Fandral, and Loki watched the two females leave, knowing it could be the last they ever saw of them. Then, they found a place to wait until dark.

* * *

Heimdall glanced towards Earth, intending to check their progress, and was surprised when he saw only Thor's human comrades within the building that had housed Sigyn. The last he had Seen, those he had sent had been joined by Loki. Where were they?

* * *

The Vanir had made their camp at the edge of the ruined city where they could see the palace and its mocking lights. As twilight gave way to darkness, their warriors checked the prisoners again and prepared the ones that would be the examples. Their cries mixed with the shouted orders of the warriors that moved them, pushed them forward to their deaths. Siege Wolves loped around them, snarling softly at their handlers, but moving forward all the same through the breach in Asgard's golden walls.

That plan halted, though, when the darkness parted to reveal the slight form of the oldest Vanir princess, Sigyn. She was clad in strange clothes, but it was her nonetheless. A noise like a snarl broke the night as they realized who it was, that the _murderer_ of their children had returned. They tried to send the wolves forth, but they refused the orders, instead turning on their handlers and biting hands and pushing back those that stepped forward.

* * *

Light of weight, delicate features, and dark hair, the family resemblance was immediately recognizable to those that looked for it between the two women that stood across from each other inside what had been the Council Tent. Their queen, Abragoda, had been holding a tactical meeting with her general and his lieutenants. Those same superior officers were still present, but shifting uncomfortably as the queen and princess regarded each other with gazes cooler than any ice a Jotun could summon.

It didn't help matters that their very own Siege Wolves, once loyal Vanir warriors, had turned on them for the presence of the betrayer. The wolves paced restlessly outside the tent and yipped occasionally to each other.

"Darling, dearest _little_ sister, do dismiss your officers. We have things to discuss, things which you will find of great interest," Sigyn drawled. "Or I can promise to set your own wolves on you."

"I don't trust you," Abragoda said bluntly and Sigyn merely grinned in a vicious manner. After a moment, she nodded to her officers, who stiffened and were about to protest when a lone howl punctuated the night air.

When there was only a table between them, Sigyn dropped into one of the vacated chairs and reached for an uncorked bottle of spirits. She sniffed at its contents and frowned disapprovingly at the Vanir queen. "_Ale_? Right before the execution of a hundred innocents? What were you celebrating, I wonder?" she asked.

Abragoda, spine still stiff and cheek still twitching, stared at her older sister with something akin to hatred. "I'll not be telling _you_ my plans, dearest, darling _older_ sister," she snapped. "And I will ask the questions here. I am your _queen_." It was almost an afterthought the way it was added. "How did you turn my packs against me?"

Setting the bottle back down, Sigyn merely smiled and held up a closed fist. With each finger that she held up, she ticked off a point. "One: I ceased to be your subject when you stole my childhood memories and cast me into Asgard. Two: Your Siege Wolves answer to _me_ now. Three: I am only here because you claim _my son_ as your heir. So, to answer your question: Loki. Other than that, you may not question me further and _when_ I ask something you will answer as completely and honestly as if your life depended on the answer, which it may." Folding her fingers beneath her chin, Sigyn frowned intently at her sister. "The first order of business that we shall discuss is _why_ you claim my boy, Fenrir, as your heir."

Abragoda was silent for a moment before she answered, "It is not because I think him fit to rule after me, but because I know him to be a White Alpha. He…"

* * *

The darkness was their cover and Loki's spells their protection. Combined with the restlessness of the guards and the soldiers, it was enough for them to slip undetected into the camp and find the first of the captives that they would smuggle out. The cries of relief when the chains were shattered were smothered with warning words and quickly hissed orders.

"We have but an hour while this distraction works to our advantage, then we are caught in a trap of our own making," Loki breathed to Thor.

* * *

When she had finished her long winded excuse about using Fenrir as an Heir, Sigyn eyed her sister with disgust. "Right. That was about what I had expected," she sighed. "But I do not understand your assault on the whole of Asgard. You _must _know that, even with the Siege Wolves, their number of highly trained, highly _dedicated_ warriors will overwhelm you. Strong as they may be, the Siege Wolves are only animals with a higher sense of understanding for the spoken language." From outside, this was punctuated by the yip of a Siege Wolf. "More clever, too, but that is all."

Abragoda's eyes flicked to the flap of her tent as she shivered. "They certainly have a strange understanding of your presence."

Sigyn just grunted at the visible dig for information. "My husband is _very_ clever," she shot back and that was a statement with enough truth and obscurities for Abragoda to chew on for a frustrating amount of time before she gave up dissecting the words as a bad idea.

"Fine, sister, since you are giving nothing away, we are here for Odin's harboring of you for the murders of our children two hundred years ago," the Vanir queen answered.

"No. You're not. Sisters do _love_ to gossip," she said viciously, rising from the chair and slamming her hands against the table. "Whatever Amora has told you, whatever aid she has promised you, she is a _liar_ and _insane_, little sister. Fenrir will not give you better control over your wolves. The last that he knew of you, I was held in thrall at your command under the spell of an _aunt_. He would rip you and Amora apart at the first chance he got." Abragoda flinched back at the first show of Sigyn's temper and her gaze flicked briefly to the tent entrance.

* * *

The second group that they smuggled from the camp was as easily done as the first. It was the third that they ran into the first trouble with. The guards had settled back into their structured patrols and rotate through their assigned areas in a tight pattern that covered even the shadows of the most remote tent. One guard took too much of an interest in a particular shadow and suffered a slit throat by Hogun's blades. Though the body was dumped well beyond the boundaries of the encampment, the missing guard was immediately taken notice of and an alert was roused.

Standing at the edge that marked the distance between safety and the Vanir encampment, Loki studied the forms that were darting back and forth and listened to the distant words that were being shouted. "We can make one more successful rescue, Thor, without being captured. From there, our chances diminish decrease with every subsequent attempt that we make," he said, turning his head slightly to watch Thor's profile approach. "I will give you two more before I leave to collect Sif and Sigyn. Choose wisely."

Thor looked a little older than he remembered with the way he frowned thoughtfully and studied the darkened outlines of tents and Vanir. "I will have to leave that to you, brother. You understand where we are most able to blend in while I am still just a warrior," Thor said and Loki had never heard better words fall from his brother's lips.

* * *

Abragoda's gaze shifted back to Sigyn when the older woman straightened and sighed. "We are almost done here and then you can have your precious camp back in the order before I…ah…_intruded_," she said and Abragoda narrowed her eyes. "I have an…_idea_…that you will find interesting. I want my son free of Odin's grip and well away from Asgard and the Vanir."

"His best chance for survival lies with me," Abragoda pressed and then stopped flat when Sigyn's features hardened.

"His best chance for freedom is to be far away from these realms," Sigyn returned. "But…and understand that this is conditional…But I understand that you need a White Alpha to better control your Siege Wolves. In return for your aid, I will _make_ you another White Alpha from a volunteer, and it _must _be a volunteer or the spell won't take, whose blood kin is willing to be his or her handler."

Shock flashed across Abragoda's face and, for a moment, her throat worked with no sound. Then, "_Why_?"

"Because you will be providing the attack that will force Odin to undo the spell that holds Fenrir and allow me a chance to rescue him from Odin's hands," Sigyn said frankly. "You will also be accepting whatever terms of surrender that Thor Odinson offers when this is done and you will never again raise hand, sword, tooth, claw, or magic to them for as long as his line rules Asgard."

"So, you _are_ here for Asgard. You care nothing for your own people?"

Sigyn stared at her sister for the longest time before she shook her head and looked a little sad. "I care that they do not go to their slaughter, led by an ignorant woman whose ambitions blind her to even family affection and drive her to turn one sister against the other. That is the extent of it, though. Anything else died when you took the throne from me and employed our youngest sister, Amora, to hold me in thrall when you discovered I was still alive. And, no, I am not here for Asgard. I am here for old debts and family."

"If I did this, and I'm not agreeing to anything, but say I did. How would this benefit us?" Abragoda asked.

Sigyn chuckled mirthlessly. "If you don't agree to this, then I take your Siege Wolves and leave you to the tender mercies of Asgard's warriors." There was a pause, a measuring of words, and a stare so blank that Abragoda looked away from her sister. "But I'll tell you what, Abra, do this for me and we will call all debts between us settled and I will renounce all claim and ties to the Vanir throne for myself and my children. I will accept banishment from our realm and stay well away unless _any_ of the Vanir dare to raise hand, sword, tooth, claw, or magic to me or mine."

Abragoda looked shocked. "You would…sign away your birthright for a beast that was once your son?"

"The _beast_ was an innocent caught in the path of a tyrant. I'll not leave my son to suffer a moment longer than is in my power to prevent," Sigyn said softly. "And do remember, Abra, that I never wanted the throne. In part, you did me a favor in dropping me in Asgard. Thor and Loki are more my family than you and Amora ever were. This is just my way of making it official that we are no longer family. Agreed?"

The Vanir queen held her hand out across the table. "Agreed," she said when Sigyn took her hand.

They gripped each other's hand tightly, each remembering a moment when their relationship had not been quite so bitter-a moment when blood had been _enough_. Then, Sigyn released her grip and stepped back. "You will take your wolves and you will challenge Odin to settle this little war that you have started," Sigyn instructed. "Do it publicly and in the middle of the day when his guards are at their most vigilant. That will ensure he cannot refuse without humiliating himself."

"And what is your plan?"

Sigyn smiled. "You'll find out when it happens." She stepped back, satisfied with both the results and the amount of time it had taken her to wring the agreement from the Vanir queen. It was almost time for Loki to collect them. Best to get outside and cloaked before Abragoda discovered her missing prisoners, but Abragoda was looking at her like there was something more she wanted to say.

"One last thing, Sigyn, before we part as sisters for the final time, there is one last thing I would show you," she said. "I bear you no love, not anymore, but I would not see you bound into a lie. Amora has hurt you terribly, I acknowledge that, but your husband has done worse in concealing certain…_truths_…from you."

Amusement flickered across her features and, for a moment, she was torn between leaving and hearing Abragoda's ploy. "Speak then, Abra," she said. "I've a moment longer to hear you through."

It wasn't a lie she wove or words she spoke. Rather, Abragoda cupped her hands together and a blurred image flickered over her fingers, slowly summoning its details to life. The browns of the image were the first to settle into the form of walls. Dull grey resolved itself into the stone flooring and the posts of a bed. Finally, the color of flesh resolved itself into an image of…She lurched forward, a frown touching her lips, and fingers reaching for the small pair of bodies twined together. Loki and herself. But it was not her. She had no memory of such a place and Loki had never looked angry or bitter while being intimate with her.

Abragoda stepped back. "In your absence, Amora seduced him with your image. It's not a perfect match, as you can tell, but it was-_apparently_-good enough for him at the time."

Sigyn continued to stare at the image, drinking in the familiar sight of corded muscles, sinewy strength, dark hair, and the planes and angles of his features, yet…the longer she looked, the more off it seemed to her. A smile quirked her lips and, with a wave of her fingers through the image, it vanished in a puff of smoke. "My estimation of your intelligence has just gone very much down, Abragoda," she laughed. "Do remember that Amora obtained a copy of one of my husband's clones and tortured me with its image for close to two years. You've been taken in by Amora, _little_ sister. _That_ was not my husband, but an imperfect copy of one of the clones. My husband is nothing if not a bit of a show off. It had nothing of his magic or the mark he usually leaves on the image of himself."

With another laugh, she spun on her heel and left Abragoda staring open-mouthed after her. With the tent flap gripped in her hand and pulled partially free, she turned her head to add, "Oh. And we've taken most of your prisoners as a…good will promise. Should any harm come to those left in your care, you can consider our agreement null and expect to be hunted as I _will_ hunt Amora when this is over." Her grin was just a little vicious when she caught Abragoda's gaze one final time. "Goodbye, _little sister_. This is the last time we meet as anything resembling siblings."

Then, she was simply gone. The tent entrance flapped silently in the wind and fluttered closed of its own accord. Outside, the Siege Wolves struck up a mournful howl that left the Vanir queen shaking.

* * *

The guards and soldiers had taken defensive positions around the remaining two groups of prisoners, hands gripped tightly around their drawn weapons and eyes sharp to the surrounding area. Behind them, the prisoners pressed together for warmth and reassurance. When the first dagger sprouted in the throat of one soldier with a squirt of blood, the others bellowed to each other and stepped back. Another fell in a flash of light while another seized up with an electrical shock. Yet another fell with his head severed from his body. Before the last body had struck the ground, the guards and soldiers were fleeing or tossing their weapons to the ground and gabbling in their native tongue.

Loki wove the spell for invisibility again and reinforced the one for disillusionment even as he watched the so-called warriors flee. Thor, Hogun, and Fandral were momentarily revealed to the prisoners as each of their chains were broken and they were herded into the larger spell meant to cloak the presence of those they picked up. When they reached capacity, Loki forced Thor back and away from the two dozen remaining. It was _almost_ hard to make himself turn away as well when the cries and pleas of the prisoners being left behind started. "There is no time and no magic left for them. Take those you have now and _go_. I will join you when you find Heimdall."

"But they-" Thor began, his grip tightening on Mjölnir.

"_No_, Thor. You cannot save them all at this time. Measures have been taken that will safeguard them against the worst of harm," Loki said. When Thor looked to protest again, he asked, "Do you trust me? Do you trust _Sigyn_?"

"I-Yes. Yes, of course," Thor said, finally focusing on his brother.

"Then believe me when I tell you that there is no more time and no more magic to be spent on this rescue. _Go_. I will see you in three day's time," he said. There was a slight hesitation before he added, "Safe travels, brother. Do not get yourself killed." Then, he faded into shadow and the spaces between reality.

* * *

Moving through the camp undetected and unseen proved to be harder than she had thought it would be. Twice they had been glimpsed and Sif had been forced to step away from the protective spells to slit the throat of the unsuspecting warrior that got too close. Once, Sigyn had been the one to protect Sif from an attack in her blind spot, but frying the guard and leaving a corpse that smelled of burnt flesh had attracted too much attention. Now, the only thing that stood between them and capture were the clasping of hands between them and the sharing of power and strength to keep the spell that cloaked them active.

As they wove and dodged and danced through the gathering soldiers and guards, their hands slipped and the spell frayed around the edges. Sigyn dove for Sif's hand, but it was already too late. A cry was put up all around them and the warriors began to press in, draw their weapons, and step towards the interlopers. Then, a strong arm pulled her into cool warmth as Sif vanished in a rush of power before they were falling, _falling_ through the cracks that held time and space and all of reality together.

When they stopped spinning, when their feet finally touched ground again, Sigyn's weight in Loki's arms toppled them to the dirt and ferns of the forest around them. Still shaking with the adrenaline of the close call, she seized a double handful of his hair and dragged his lips to hers until they were kissing with such savage hunger that Sif had to drag herself up before she was able to escape them.

Clearing her throat, Sif recalled the pair of them to their surroundings. Sigyn, at least, had the good nature to turn slightly pink around the ears while Loki looked truly indifferent at having had an audience. Sif turned from them while they rose from the ground and righted their clothes and shared a kind of look that, though Sif had never envied them, still made her _want_ for herself.

"Where are we?" Sif asked. "This is no part of the royal forests that I have ever been to."

"That is because we are nowhere near the palace at the moment," Sigyn answered, still smoothing down the dirt from her clothes. "We…" and here she paused to glance at Loki, who shrugged. "You know of our plans to exact the price of the debt that Odin has incurred for us, yes?"

"I had…suspected that there was something you were planning," Sif said slowly, wondering at her role in the matter.

"Good," Sigyn said. "Because we're going to need your help in protecting Thor from being suspected in his father's…_disappearance_."

* * *

_Thank you to my reviewers: wbss21, Maia2, and no-MY name's Anonymous._


	25. Chapter 25

When they explained her part, Sif had to smile ruefully. "So. My part is to keep Thor delayed from returning to the city until three days from now," she repeated. "While, in the meantime, you have given the Vanir queen the final push into challenging _our_ king? _How_ is this a good idea? She has three packs of Siege Wolves."

Sigyn sat on a rock, looking tense. Her gaze flicked to her husband, who shook his head minutely. She sighed and rolled her eyes. "No, Lok', we're not keeping this from her. Not when it's something that we may need someone else to verify later," she said. "Before we parted ways, Loki cast a spell on me. It belongs to the same family class as that of the spell that Odin used to transform our son into a White Alpha. Because I share direct blood with one such wolf, the spell allowed the Siege Wolves to recognize me as one of their Alpha's."

Understanding flared through her eyes as Sif began to chuckle. "You don't intend to allow the Vanir to _keep_ their current packs. With Fenrir at your side, their wolves would find it hard to resist the both of you."

Sigyn smiled. "Exactly. I'll _give_ her an Alpha from one of her volunteers, but Angrboda won't be able to call on a full pack for a few decades since the transformation usually kills even a willing warrior. By that point, we'll have worked out a decent defense for Thor to implement in case the Vanir get any ideas again. They'll never get this kind of chance again."

And, well, wasn't that just a satisfied smile, Sif couldn't help but note as she returned the grin. Apparent betrayal or not, Sif was content in the knowledge that they were aiming to push Thor onto the throne. Odin had, after all, never _truly_ had any interest in the common welfare of his kingdom beyond making sure things were running smoothly, but Thor had. Thor had always been the one to slip away from the palace with her and the Warriors Three and find one of the local taverns and simply sit there for hours drinking and talking with the merchants and other non-warrior classes. Wise or not, she couldn't see how Thor could do any worse than his father before him.

* * *

Heimdall was watching the trio closely and listening to every word spokenas their plans unfolded. For a moment, his gaze turned to the Allfather and his court and uncertainty flickered through him. How far could duty to the throne drag him from his family? His gaze turned to Thor and the hundred-odd prisoners they had rescued. Their's was a slow moving group with the various wounds that each had sustained, but move they did with Hogun as their guide towards the last place he had met with Heimdall.

A flicker of movement on the tail end of their large group had Heimdall scanning the area beyond them. A pack of Siege wolves and their thirty-odd handlers were tracking them. So, Angrboda had not yet given up on her war, despite what Sigyn had offered. Under Heimdall's watch a small group of warriors was sent to join their prince and to take care of the Vanir that dared threaten them. Perhaps one final lesson was needed before this war had seen its end.

* * *

"And _how _am I supposed to delay Thor from immediately setting out to the city, _knowing_ the two of you are going to be there? Fighting, at that? You know how he is," Sif said carefully. An idea was already forming in her mind about how she would delay him, but she needed her own brother for it. Sigyn just looked amused, though she was still tense. "Sigyn?"

She smiled slightly and Loki glanced at her. "Your brother is watching us with great interest," she said.

"You aren't…shielding against him? I thought you always did," Sif said.

Sigyn glanced at Loki and this time didn't say anything when he shook his head minutely. She did, though, cock her head and raise her eyebrows in a way that made him sigh and glance towards Asgard's mountains. "It is intentional," Loki supplied. "We do not, after all, wish to be hunted once this is done. And I am not intending to kill anyone, just make him understand what he put our children through. Once the anchors for the spells break, he'd be more than free to go where he pleases." Of course, he didn't mention that the spells he had used would drain one's magic and use that as a source of power as well, _and_ even if the spells _did_ break, the planet's atmosphere was still _highly_ poisonous. Odin might not die from exposure to the atmosphere, but he wasn't going anywhere with his body constantly torn between disintegrating and regeneration. He would be a prisoner on that planet until the sun swallowed it whole.

Before Sif could ask another question, Sigyn's features shut down as she turned her gaze to a glade not far from where they had teleported in. Loki's body language shifted from guarded to hostile as he followed her gaze, but Sigyn rose in a fluid motion and caught his wrist before he could cast a spell. "Take Sif to Heimdall. Please, Loki," she added softly when he looked at her. "Let me handle this. They usually mean me no harm." It wasn't the first time that a number of the Vanir had sought her out and it wouldn't be the last time. Angrboda was, after all, the usurper.

Reversing her grip on him, he pulled her in close enough that he could feel the heat radiating from her body as he towered over her. She tilted her head back, a crooked smile touching her lips. "If they so much as _breathe_ wrong, I will incinerate them and scatter their ashes across the nine realms for Death to feast on."

"I would expect no less from you, love," she said, kissing him lightly before he released her.

Sif stared at the glade as four shapes slowly emerged from the shadows. Two were that of Siege Wolves. Before she could protest, Loki's hand had wrapped around her wrist and then she was _falling_, falling through the cracks again. When she stumbled into the bright sunlight, gasping and trying to pull from Loki, she glimpsed only a moment of the fury that was written across his features before he vanished again. Around her, there rose a great many voices as she finally registered that there was others there with her.

* * *

When he left, the Siege Wolves and their handlers stepped into the sunlight where she could make out their features. The wolves fur was both a deep shade of mahogany and their handlers looked almost like twins. For a moment, she thought she recognized them, then the pseudo-memory faded. Theirs were the features commonly associated with the Vanir of high-cheekbones, sharply angled features, and dark hair. It was their eyes that made her shiver and take a step back. White and glazed, they were the mark of those possessed. Alright, _not_ what she had been expecting.

"Sister of the fallen realms. Daughter to king. We come in warning," they said, their voices echoing eerily around the glade until the words repeated themselves with more than two voices. Suddenly, the sun was not so warm against her skin. "For soul divine, where hearts entwine, the price of time will be paid dear."

She took another step back and a strong arm wrapped around her waist to pull her against cool warmth. The familiar scent of leather and pine told her that her husband had returned even before his free arm extended over her shoulder alight with the flame of untamed magic. "Urðr, Verðandi, Skuld. Your hands are not welcome here. There is no fate to set, no price to take. Leave, _now,_" Loki snarled. "We've no interest in what it is you are offering."

Anxiously, the wolves whined and pressed against the legs of their handlers, but there was no response from the Vanir except an identical, cold smile. "A bargain was struck, two hundred years before for the end of time to be delayed. Allfather, Asgardian King, made that bargain with us. The hearts entwined divided for the sake of all. Shatter the bargain and the price of time held most dear would be the price that _you_ will pay. We come now in warning, to tell of price to be paid. Take your revenge and stay the debt. We give you that before we take."

Silence and wind swept through the clearing where they stood. The trees shivered and swayed around them. She could feel Loki shaking slightly with anger and fear. The Fates, after all, had never been defeated, never challenged, and never defied. "You cannot take what I will not give," Sigyn said. "We'll settle our debts with blood and bone. Kin shall return to kin and you shall not have him. Touch him, in any way, take from us what we do not give and we bring Ragnarok. End of time, end of all. Touch him and you will regret."

"You are not strong enough to resist."

She shrugged one shoulder and twined her fingers through his. "What is mine is his and his is mine. Memories, love, life, children, and magic we share. Take what we do not give and I break the link, I bring Ragnarok. _He_ will bring Ragnarok. Forget not what you yourselves foretold of the end of time."

"Then we take-"

"No," Loki said flatly and his arm tightened around her. His arm extended over her shoulder blazed with such magic that the handlers took an automatic step back. "Heart and life we share. You take from her, you take from me. _We_ are the bringers of Ragnarok without the other."

"We hold your Fate," they hissed.

"Ragnarok cannot be stopped or altered or changed," Sigyn pressed. "Take one from the other and the magic shatters with our sanity. Even _you_ cannot undo the binding that we did without causing the end of all creation and that is something that you know to fear."

They considered that for a moment. Then, "A bargain was stuck and a price is to be paid. It is how we feed, so name a different price to be paid. Name a price you are _willing_ to part with."

"If you take from kith or kin, we fight and you lose either way," Loki said. "So take from us a revenge, something we have worked towards for more than a handful of years. It is the tiling of blood and debt, sorrow and hate. Take from us the prize we seek at the end of suffering and endless nights of pain. Take from us the satisfaction and celebration of fear released."

They could almost hear the thoughts running through the minds of the three Fates, but it was still a tense moment of silence that settled over them again. When they spoke, it was a thoughtful echo that they heard in those voices. "We take from you the potent emotions invoked by that of Skurge. Your fear, your hate, we take from you the root for your revenge. The memories and knowledge of events you keep. Your child, you keep," they said slowly as shadowy tendrils wrapped around Loki and Sigyn's legs, twining around them until they reached Sigyn's shoulders. The magic sank in like icy knives, making them both gasp and hold tighter to each other. "From Skurge, we shall take the price of time once lived and make him cease to be. His love, his lust, his potent hate, we take for ours to feast upon. A shell he is, a shell he will remain."

Memories flashed before Sigyn's eyes alongside the nightmares and the phantom touches that had once been Skurge's. Everything compressed into that second, that minute, that moment and made her knees go weak as her stomach roiled and she closed her eyes tightly against the sensation. She wasn't aware of fainting, but when she next opened her eyes the sun was warm against her skin and she could feel the familiar sensation of Loki's magic coursing through her like the best of wines.

Releasing a shuddering breath, she tried to straighten, but Loki's arms closed tighter around her. She slid one arm around his neck and realized that they were sitting on the forest floor. She could feel him, just slightly, still trembling like he was cold. "You clever bastard. If I didn't love you before, I would now," she murmured, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "One foe gone, two left."

He blinked and relaxed his grip on her. Cradling her weight against his leg and arm, he let the spell run its course and tell him exactly what he had already known. She was alive and healthy. There no lingering ill effects and…he took another look…the siphon had broken. Her magic was returning at a steady pace, replenishing itself and seeking out the corners and crevices of her body that it inhabited.

"You shouldn't have done that," he said and it came out a low snarl. He hadn't realized he was still so very angry-with the Fates, with Odin, and, yes, even with her. "It was a foolish thing to do, challenging them like that. They were here for-"

"-your memories of our marriage," she finished coolly. "They sustain themselves on moments that have already been lived and leave their victim nothing more than a walking husk. It wouldn't have taken your magic, but you would no longer have been the husband that I love. I _would_ have broken the bond between our magic to bring Ragnarok, because there will never be a day that I will not love you and wish for your chaotic nature at my side."

"You still should not have done it," he said, softer this time.

"What? Claim you? Too bad, I did that a thousand-odd-years ago," she said. She paused before adding, "This is just one more reason to hate him, isn't it? Bargaining with our lives and memories like they were his to do so."

"I wouldn't be surprised if they had come for him and he turned them at us," he sighed. "But, yes, just one more reason to hate. At the least, though, we are one enemy down when we hunt Amora."

To that Sigyn just grunted. "Oh, no worries there, husband mine. She'll find some new toy or other to amuse herself with until we find her. We'll just have to hope that it isn't Bruce Banner," she sighed.

He grimaced. "I hadn't thought of that, but what's done is done," he said.

"And better Skurge than us," she chuckled, momentarily tightening her own grip on him.

* * *

Two realms away, in the blackness of night, a single scream was heard before silence reigned. Though the flesh remained, when Amora found him the next morning nothing of the man would be left. A walking, breathing husk of meat and muscle was all that was left of her once-more or less-faithful companion. The uses she would find for that husk were another matter entirely. Several plans were altered and rewritten, a more thoughtful approach taken to one, and the final goal smoothed over once more.

* * *

Heimdall released the breath he hadn't realized he was holding when the Fates returned their hosts to the main Vanir camp. He watched just long enough to See Sigyn stir before he turned to his own sister and nodded. "They are well," he said, deciding to mention nothing of what had actually occurred. Sif looked at him and he knew the question before she asked it. Duty to the throne or duty to his people? He'd known the answer when he had informed Thor of his sister's continued existence when he should have first spoken to his king.

"Will you help me with this?"

"Yes. He is a half days march away," he said and she smiled as she never had before.

* * *

He didn't bother to rise as he wove the spell around them to take them to a place where he knew was _safe _to wait_, _where his spells were anchored in such a way that they were permanent. It was a place he had established for himself in her absence, somewhere that no one would know to look for him. Then, between one moment and the next they were falling, _falling_ through time and space until a room resolved itself around them. It wasn't spacious or anything overly decorated. There was only a bed, a desk, a chair, and books of varying subjects set into the shelves carved into the walls.

She was looking around with interest and he could feel the back of his neck slowly heating up under her continued silence. Was there something missing? Should he have thought to decorate? Why was he suddenly so self-conscious about this place? It wasn't as though this were the first time he had brought her to a place that he had built with the sole intention of privacy and protection. It served its purpose and that was good enough.

Sigyn looked at him sidelong with a smile tugging at her lips. "This is new," she said. "It's not a place of yours I've seen before." She nodded at the books. "Those are from your room in the palace, yes?" He only nodded and she rose from his side to approach them. When she started to arrange them into an order that she liked, he couldn't have said that he was surprised. She had, after all, done much the same the first time that he had brought her to his rooms in the palace. As she moved through their familiar routines, he found himself slowly relaxing his stance. The books were sorted, the clothes were put away, unspoiled food hunted out, and things tweaked until it was something they both liked.

By the time she had finished, he had to blink at realizing she had maneuvered him into the chair by the desk and a plate of food had appeared at his elbow. Quill and paper had been stacked neatly behind him-something he didn't remember doing the last time he had been there-and _she_ had selected a book before settling herself on the bed. Tilting his head, he was amused to find that it was one of the few novels that he had brought with him. _Renegade Star_ was worn in the spine and one that seemed to follow him wherever he went. It also wasn't one that he read regularly, so…

"You spelled it to follow me, didn't you?"

When she tilted the edge of the book down a little, he could see the amusement flickering through her gaze beneath the thinning worry. "Three hundred years later and you finally notice? Yes, love, this is a favorite book of mine when you get agitated. I spelled it so that I have it to occupy my hands so that I'm not fussing over you," she said and he could only smile ruefully. She deliberately turned a page and, still smiling at him, looked back at the book.

"You're doing this intentionally," he said and her eyes flicked up again.

Settling the book in her lap, she smiled at him. "And you're not eating or turning your mind to your most recent project. What was the last thing you were working on? A shield spell that could reverse an attack back onto its caster with the idea that it could trace the life force signature back to its source?"

His lips curved into a half smile at the obvious attempt to draw his mind away from what had happened with the Fates, but the draw of talking her through one of his spells was too tempting to resist. "That is an oversimplification of the workings for that particular spell…" he began as he launched into an explanation of what results his project had produced.

By the time that he had her throwing offensive spells at him, he had almost forgotten the Fates. When she progressed to using the new shield spell herself, he actually _had_ forgotten what they were waiting for until she called a halt to their practice. With sweat still clinging to her hair and skin, she dropped the spell to twine her fingers through his. A small surge from her and the magic he had been gathering for another spell fizzled out between them in a burst of sparks.

"Anymore practice and I won't have enough power left for tomorrow or the day after when Angrboda holds her end," she said at his questioning look. Her cheeks were still flushed with the exertion and her eyes were starting to light up when she suddenly smiled and used their clasped hands to draw herself up against him. "We're close, so _very_ close to the end, Loki. We're almost _free_." When he kissed her, it wasn't the rushed, hungry, desperate way that he had in the weeks before. This time it was something that he drew out and savored, something that felt like it could sustain them.

* * *

_The forest was different. Scents that had not been there before were shifting through the air. The leaves stirred differently, against the wind, and the moon rippled like an illusion. His nose twitched with everything that he could breathe in and his hackles rose as the scent of one that was familiar, too familiar filled the air. Enemy and desecrator of blood. Tormentor of dame and _prey.

_When he moved, he moved towards the scent on paws that were silent in their tread. If the enemy had finally come to him, then it was time to _hunt._ With the feeling of his dame's presence in his mind, he growled softly and crouched low to the ground. One last hunt, one more kill. If that was all he had left, then it would be his best._

"_**Fenrir!**_" _his dame screamed, her voice shaded by dream and the echoes between their realities. He paused, but only for a moment and then she was gone. Just as well. Perhaps it _was_ best that she not be with him in the moment of a kill._

* * *

She jerked awake at the feeling of a hand against her skin, a cry broken off on her lips. Eyes wide, hands gripped around the material of the sheets, she realized that it was Loki's form and weight above her. His arms formed a semi cage around her, his fingers gripped tightly around her wrists-_had she tried to cast?_ There was a light in the room now, casting flickering shadows across his drawn, worried features.

"Sigyn?" he asked and it was barely a whisper.

"We have to go. It's happening _now_. Odin is unraveling the spell. We have to go," she said and he released her-no questions, no demands for answers. There was a flurry of movement, clothes hastily found, spells cast in the half-darkness, and then she was in his arms and they were falling, _falling_ through the cracks of space and reality, headed for something unknown, a situation they had not planned for and it was fear that touched them, that sharpened their senses that night and it was, perhaps, the only thing that saved them.

* * *

_A/N: Thank you to my new Favorites/Followers and t__hank you to my reviewers: Achlys, Frostfire613, Maia,2 no-MY name's Anonymous, wbss21, and Ynath Esrith._

_Also, there is a poll posted on my profile page. The answers my have an impact on a second or shorter story for The Debt Repaid. Do note that it will have absolutely no effect on this current project._


	26. Chapter 26

_Fire _and_ chaos _and_ screaming _and_ a haze of magic _was what they teleported into when the spell released them into what had once been the Asgardian palace. Corpses that had once been Vanir and Asgardian warriors littered the ground, abandoned amidst the fighting. All around, warriors screamed and fought, clashed and struggled. With the creaking and toppling of marble, a pillar and a section of wall collapsed just behind them. Loki was only just able to teleport them to the other side of the room before it struck where they had been standing.

Three pairs of eyes turned to them and then they were caught in the fighting themselves. Sigyn had only enough time to grab for the spell she had used to conceal the scepter and then she was moving with it, clashing and stabbing and weaving. Loki was at her back, moving with her, guarding her against their blades. Metal sliding against metal, blades sliding through flesh, blood spattering their clothes, spells on the tips of their tongues, one thought pulsing through their minds. _Protect each other. _

They fought both Vanir and Asgardians alike, some they killed and some they were able to leave unconscious, but they _fought_ and won every step out of that room. In the hall, they discovered exactly how strange the realms had tilted themselves. Asgardians fought alongside Vanir against the Siege Wolves and there seemed more to Sigyn's eye than there had been in the camp. Bodies were too tightly packed together to mount a proper defense or to even raise their weapons without hitting friend and foe alike, but the wolves had neither problem as they darted in and around feet, dragged down unsuspecting warriors and tore out throats.

While they were frozen and watching in disbelief, one wolf seized a fallen, screaming Vanir by the shoulder and started dragging him away. One Vanir dated forward to try and help, but the other wolves closed and protected the retreat. The face wasn't familiar, but the screaming was and it had Sigyn darting through the tangled bodies, the reek of death, and chasing the pair. She was lighter than the warriors without her normal armor and the leaps she took over the wolves startled them even as teeth snapped at her heels and their heavier forms turned to follow her. Howls started the moment they saw her, drowning out the sounds she knew to be Loki fighting to follow after her.

Down the hall, around a corner, weaving through the line of dead, and through a shattered wall she chased them into one of the open courtyards where she stopped dead in her tracks. Behind her, she heard Loki's startled oath at the sight of so many neatly arranged bodies-Asgardian and Vanir alike. Amongst them paced a large, white wolf that was achingly familiar.

"Fenrir," Sigyn breathed and then Loki was shoving her into the room, his back to hers and a snarl on his lips. Her hands tightened on the scepter when the dozen or so Siege Wolves turned their attention from the Asgardian or Vanir they seemed to be guarding.

Large amber eyes framed by white fur took her in before a voice ordered, _Down. Dame. One of pack._

The wolves laid their ears flat, but their stances shifted slightly to a less aggressive posture as those looking after injured turned back to watch their charge. From behind her, she heard Loki cast a spell that had her turning and reaching a hand out, the counter on her lips before it struck. "Loki, stop," she whispered in his ear. "Fenrir is commanding them. He has ordered them to stand down. Attacking now may push him to attack us." He turned his head only just enough to see white wolf regarding them. Then, one of the Vanir was screaming again and convulsing and Fenrir was suddenly more interested in that individual than them.

The wolves surged in at that, pushing at their legs until they no longer blocking the entrance. A few crowded around the convulsing Vanir, laying muzzle and paws on shoulders and legs so he didn't hurt himself. Fenrir nudged him onto his side and simply watched as the body changed, the legs grew shorter and thicker. Muscles crawled beneath skin and made Sigyn a little nauseous just looking at it, but then the hair started to sprout and it was no longer an issue.

When it was done, when the muscles had finally settled again and the hair finished growing along the length of his body, he was no longer a Vanir, but a Siege Wolf who had once been a warrior. Sides heaving and torn clothes still clinging to his shoulders, the Siege Wolves howled their welcome for their new brother as he tested new limbs and keened piteously. Fenrir slid up against him and held him steady while he tentatively put weight onto all of his legs and looked back at his tail.

Sigyn had to grab Loki's arm to remain standing upright. It hadn't been something she thought she would ever see again, the transformation of a warrior into wolf form. Her own son had been bad enough, but to witness it with no one holding her back, with no caster managing the spell, it had been something else entirely. _Was_ there a spell active? Was it her own son controlling the magic? There was too little known of them for her to make a proper assessment.

"Fenrir," she said softly and he turned his head to look at her. "Fenrir, come here." She let go of Loki's arm and crouched at his level, holding out one hand while the other maintained a grip on the scepter.

_Dame_, he said again and eased the new wolf onto the side of an older wolf before he trotted to her, tongue lolling out in a happy pant. Around them, all eyes of the Siege Wolves turned to them and had Loki stepping closer to his wife. The movement had Fenrir coming up short and laying back his ears as he growled at Loki.

Sigyn straightened and stepped back until her back was pressed to Loki's side. "Fenrir, if you attack him, I fight with _him._ He is my…my mate. Do you remember him? Loki is not your kin, but he adopted you before Odin took your other form from you. He called you _his_."

Where _was_ Odin? The question echoed through her like a bad taste in her mouth. Between waking from the dream and fighting their way out of that room, enough time had not passed for Fenrir to have freed himself and gathered this many wolves.

A brief flash of an impossibly tall figure presented itself to her and then was gone before she could truly register what was happening. _Second sire,_ Fenrir said to the other wolves and the growls eased. _Dame. Two of pack._

She couldn't hear what was replied, but the wolves surged around them and into the room, around the unconscious warriors to exchange positions and tend to each other's wounds. Fenrir closed the distance between them and she dropped the scepter as she bent to embrace him. His fur was scratchy against her cheek.

"Does he…remember us?" Loki asked from behind her. "He certainly seems to recall you."

_Yes_, Fenrir replied and when Loki said nothing to it, she realized that she was the only one that could hear him. _Dream speak,_ he added to her unvoiced question. _Spell of Prey. __**Dream**__ speak, dame. Dream._

Fenrir yelped suddenly, but there was no physical reason for it, no spell that she had felt surge through her son. She smoothed her hands down his furred sides and glanced discreetly around the room again. _Dream_ indeed. Now that she looked and knew _what_ to look for, she could see it. Fractions of their reality sewn seamlessly together like a patchwork quilt. It shifted-just a little-in certain spots and shimmered for a brief second before settling back into place. How much memory, how much true reality? How to tell Loki without alerting their warden?

She straightened with one hand still fisted in Fenrir's fur. "He remembers us," she said. "But I think it would be best to leave this room. They'll have followed us here."

His eyes lingered on the new wolf for a moment, then he nodded. "Of course," he said and held out a hand to her. She released her grip on Fenrir to take it. The moment her fingers twined through his, she felt the surge of his magic through her-a jolt as much as a warning. She returned the jolt and he smiled grimly. So, he was as aware of their situation as she was. His gaze flicked to the scepter as he took a step back and she followed. Around them, the wolves shifted and watched them.

With a deft movement, he spun her into his arms and gripped the scepter where her hand closed around it. The spell released itself through the jewel and hovered for a moment before it shattered into a thousand fragments and rained down upon the image they were trapped within. The room dissolved into the darkness that filled the cracks between time and space. There was nothing now, save themselves and the image of their son. Fenrir pressed against Sigyn's legs and she felt the growl rumble through him before he, too, vanished with the spell.

Loki's spell completed itself and they were thrown out of the darkness into a blinding light. They hit the ground with such force that Sigyn was jarred out of his arms and the wind was knocked from their lungs. Blinking rapidly and gripping the scepter tightly, her free hand scrabbled blindly against stone looking for her husband.

Around them, she could hear murmuring voices, _familiar_ voices, and she felt the cold fear of certainty settle into her bones. Cool warmth found her wrist and hauled her to her feet, putting her back to another's back. She blinked the last of the stars away and she felt Loki shift himself until their stances mirrored each other's. With her vision clear, she suddenly wished that she were still blind. This wasn't something they had planned for, wasn't something they had ever _dreamed_ would happen.

Angrboda stood at Odin's side, gazing down at the two of them from beside his throne. Fenrir was chained and bound between them, Angrboda's fingers twining idly through his fur even though his hackles were raised and he looked to be contemplating the best way to bite her. In her peripheral vision she could just make out the forms of Asgardian warriors on one side of the room and the Vanir standing with their Siege Wolves on the other. The only sound to echo through the room was that of silence. Amber eyes turned to look at her sidelong and she felt the question without the need for him to ask.

* * *

Under the stars and by the light of the moon, Heimdall watched Thor's progress on the last leg of their journey. He waited for them at the point they had arranged by way of the warriors that had caught the Vanir. A curious glance had him looking towards the glade where he had last Seen Loki and Sigyn, but-as expected-they were gone. Another look towards the palace and his king had him freezing and forgetting how to breathe. After that, the night was a blur of abandoned plans and the rushing to gather their warriors to mount a defense. When they persuaded Thor out of flying off to join them he wasn't pleased in the least when he learned what they had had planned, but it was swept aside for the greater concern of their current situation. They knew, even before they set out, that they would be too late, but it didn't stop them from trying.

* * *

"The return of the Usurper and the Murderer," Angrboda said, her voice ringing out through the silence. "We might have known. Where there is one, the other follows like a…_wolf_." Odin just looked strained at her attempt at humor and Fenrir growled softly, his gaze still on Sigyn.

Odin rose from his throne and most of the attention in the hall shifted from them to him. "Liesmith, you were banished from the halls of Asgard for crimes committed. Why have you returned?"

His shoulder brushed against hers when he turned his head to glare at the king that had raised him and the Vanir Queen. "I _was_ under the impression that Asgard had been attacked and required some sort of assistance. The state of the city certainly indicated such assistance was needed," Loki said and a few of the warriors flinched. Sigyn didn't miss a beat of it. Whatever had happened since she had last seen Angrboda, it had had a substantial reach and effect.

Odin's one eye glittered with barely reigned anger. His gaze switched to Sigyn and his lips thinned a little more. "And you, once of my court, why have you returned? Have you reconsidered the loyalty for which you were cast out?"

Sigyn actually laughed at that, her grip tightening painfully on the scepter. "_You_ cast me into the Void for refusing to allow you to implicate _my husband_ in the crimes that the Vanir accuse me for. There is no loyalty to reconsider," she bit back. "There is only bad blood within the ruling families of Asgard and the Vanaheim."

"Then you leave me no choice but to order your arrest. Lay aside your weapons and disable your spells and you will not be harmed," Odin said.

She saw the mutiny in Angrboda's face, saw the dangerous gleam in Odin's eye, and then heard Fenrir order, _Hunt,_ before he bit Angrboda's wrist. The Siege Wolves turned on their handlers, she shot at Odin, and Loki summoned the Casket of Ancient Winters and unleashed its full fury on the Asgardian warriors. Odin parried the blow and shattered Fenrir's chains with it, Angrboda screamed, and most of the Asgardian warriors froze where they stood while the Vanir were chased from the throne room by their own wolves. Fenrir shook the bones in his grip until they broke and made his aunt scream all the more when he dragged her back, using her as a shield against Odin. Sigyn advanced up the stairs, firing steadily at him.

Fenrir jerked Angrboda forward, throwing her balance off, then lunged for her throat. Angrboda rolled away and slipped down the stairs, trying to scramble to her feet. With most of the warriors frozen or fleeing, Loki turned to see his wife had closed with and engaged Odin. Sword against scepter, spell matching spell. Between the sparks and the fizzle of magic, he saw her hand slip for the dagger that she carried and sink it into his side. Odin grunted and stepped away, she followed, closed the distance, engaged again.

Angrboda rose, a spell glittering on her unbroken hand, her gaze locked on Sigyn. Fenrir leapt at her from the stairs, she screamed, and he landed where she had been. He turned back to watch his dame, ears flat. The sounds of another fight made him look to his left and growl when he saw three warriors bearing down on his second sire, too close for him to use the Casket. One bound and he had one under his paws, his teeth in their throat. A gurgling scream, the convulsing of muscles beneath his claws, and his prey lay still. Blood dripping from his muzzle, he looked back to his second sire to see him bury a dagger into one's throat and block a downward stroke from the other. Beyond him there were six more closing in.

"Fenrir! _Help her!_" Loki yelled at the wolf and sent the White Alpha springing up the stairs in time to watch Odin's sword slice through the scepter and bury itself in her shoulder. As she screamed, he leapt past her, claws extended and fangs bared in a snarl. Odin saw him and vanished before he landed.

Using her uninjured hand, she carefully removed the sword and exhaled sharply with the pain. Blood trickled from the wound even as she set a spell into it and called, "Loki! The spell has been set. Go! Activate it. I can't follow him. We can handle things here!" He cast them a dubious look over his shoulder just before the howls of the Siege Wolves broke the din of his fighting. "_Go!_ This is the only chance we have!"

_Dame injured. One pack return,_ Fenrir commented. _The other remains on Hunt. Join second sire if see him._

One final spell was thrown, one last look exchanged with her, and then he was gone in a swirl of shadow and a flutter of cape. Only then did she allow herself to sag against Fenrir when he pressed against her legs. Her uninjured hand clenched in his fur. "We've come this far to retrieve you," she whispered and his ears flicked back towards her voice. "Anything else is just extra."

_Prey still needs hunting,_ he said and she laughed, struggling to right herself.

"That he does," she answered. To the warriors that had paused, she projected her voice, "You can either lay down your weapons or I can allow my son to order his wolves to rip you apart." Behind them rose the growls of thirty-odd Siege Wolves. Predictably, a few threw their weapons down and scattered behind the frozen warriors. Switching the rest of the scepter to her uninjured hand, she smiled at those that remained and said, "Shall we begin?"

It was short and it was bloody and she remembered only the throbbing of pain, the clash of steel against steel, the flash of her magic, and the screams of those felled beneath steel and fangs and claws. Wolves pressed against her legs, ushered her from the room, _away_ from the slowly melting ice and the warriors that were starting to twitch. In the hall, she saw the first of the carnage that the wolves had wrought. Pieces of flesh that she could identify were strewn across the floor, bits of armor still clinging to an arm or a thigh amidst the splashes of blood.

Her gaze skittered across the blood soaked wolves that were her escort. Effective, she would admit, but what happened after the battle? Fenrir's amber gaze caught hers as though he had heard her thoughts, but he gave no answer. As they left the hall, a shockwave that shook the entire palace and cleared the dust from the rafters had her running with the wolves at her heels. They met little resistance and those that they did meet fled at the sight of a full pack.

* * *

He had divided himself into six clones to tackle the six warriors that had joined Odin the moment they teleported outside. Engaged with Odin too close to employ the Casket, he had fallen back on magic and steel. There were no tricks that Odin did not know, no spells of his that would give him the advantage. There was only the memory of each betrayal and the rage that those moments gave him to fuel his every movement.

Between the moments that steel struck against steel, they dodged, danced, backed away, circled, parried, and pitted spell against spell. He wasn't certain when he realized it, but he could see where Odin was holding back, knew where he was pulling his strikes. It wasn't an advantage, nor something born of weakness. It was simply…Odin was holding back. He pressed, tried to draw out the power he knew to be tamped down, but no taunt, no jest could push his once-father into fighting with full strength.

Then, Loki found his back pressed to the outer palace wall, both hands caught with daggers barely stopping Odin's blade from slicing into his neck. Muscles straining, he caught Odin's gaze and almost dropped his guard at the tired resignation that he saw. "The spell, boy, complete it," Odin said, voice low enough that only Loki heard him.

The words left his lips and wrapped around Odin before he even thought about it. Loki registered the sick relief that swept across Odin's face just before a sharp pain punched into his side and his once-father vanished in an explosion of power that knocked his head against the wall. After that, he could only clutch at his side and stem the flow of blood while he eyed the crater they had made. It was a victory, he realized with a hollow feeling. Victory and revenge had been snatched from him and _knowing _it was done gave him no satisfaction.

He leaned heavily against the cracked wall and simply stayed there, breathing hard. One by one, the magic for his clones exhausted themselves and winked out, leaving the warriors suddenly without an opponent and looking around in surprise. A few of them gathered to the edge of the ruin and stared at where their ruler had been only a moment ago. It took them a few moments, but they came to their senses and turned to pin him with angry looks, their hands tightening on their weapons. He measured what magic he had left and found it wanting. There was enough left for a few spells, but not enough for him to find Sigyn and Fenrir _and_ escape with them. Hollow victory or not, there was still plenty of fighting to be had.

As the first warrior took a step towards him, he stirred away from the pillar and flicked a dagger into his hand just before howls announced the arrival of a pack of Siege Wolves. The warriors flinched back and turned their gaze to the newest threat and then fled at the sight of the White Alpha leading his pack. Sigyn darted away from Fenrir and straight for Loki, dropping the sheared scepter to rip away the bloodied armor. It was her own dagger buried past the hilt in his side. The skin around the wound had the raw, shiny look of a serious burn.

"A parting gift," he explained when she looked at him. "When he realized what kind of spell I was using."

"Lovely," she grunted, fingers already tracing a spell around the dagger. Fenrir and his wolves gathered around them, forming a protective ring. Some watched her work with interest and others kept an eye out for any lingering enemies. To her son she said, "Recall your other pack and any that remain outside the palace. Once I'm done with this, it is best that we leave before Thor and the other warriors return."

His hand settled on her shoulder and flared briefly with magic. She cast him an annoyed look for further healing her wound, but she didn't protest. Finally, she was able to ease the dagger out of his side and immediately applied pressure to stem the flow of blood. As she applied another healing spell, the second pack and a few stragglers returned from their various hunts.

_Others sent after heir further out. Not full pack, survivors of battle fought,_ Fenrir said after a moment. _Both packs here. Where go?_

Loki looked around at the sixty assembled wolves and suppressed a groan. "You don't plan on leaving them here, do you?" he asked.

Even knowing the question was rhetorical, she answered, "No and an inter realm teleportation for _all_ of us is too much to ask of you in this state and I don't have the power to give you for multiple jumps, so we're walking and camouflaging ourselves." With her hands still pressed to his side, her gaze suddenly darted to the east before she grinned. "The stables will have been far enough away that they took no damage. If we're to be named traitors and thieves, would you like to add one more of your blood to this ransack little group?"

Loki's eyes darted towards the stables as well and, just for a moment, longing flickered through his gaze before it vanished behind the steel wall of his will. He shook his head. "Sleipnir is no more than an animal now and we've no time or power to spare to keep the wolves from trying to eat him."

One bloodied palm cupped his cheek and turned his face to hers. "Fenrir has regained _his_ sentience. I helped him do that. We can do the same for Sleipnir, if you're willing. He's your blood, your choice, but if you ask my opinion then I will tell you to steal your child back. At the least, he deserves better than this."

His fingers wrapped around her wrist in a tight grip. A child lost before he had married her, Sleipnir had always been his greatest regret as Fenrir had been hers. "Then we steal another of our children," he said softly.

* * *

Evening, with Asgard's shining city at their back and the mountains looming ever presently before them, she decided they had walked enough for the day. Maintaining a spell and walking with most of Loki's weight braced against her uninjured shoulder was something that she was just as glad to be done with as never do again. Having two packs of wolves at her heels and constantly pushing Fenrir to keep them from trying to _eat_ their horse companion was also something that she wished to never have to contend with again.

Choosing a relatively sheltered spot from the elements, she managed to coax Loki to sit against one of the trees where he watched her weave the spells that would shield them from sight, sound, and scent as well as discourage anyone from trespassing too closely to their camp. Sleipnir, still nervous and shying from the scent of so many wolves, chose to stand near his sire and keep one eye on the wolves even as he dipped his head to graze.

A midnight black wolf sidled up alongside Sleipnir and received a mild electrical shock, a well-aimed kick to the ribs, and a sharp yip of an order from Fenrir for his trouble. Sigyn didn't even have to turn around to know that the wolf was slinking off to lick his bruises.

Sigyn could only smile momentarily when she felt Loki's magic ripple to settle alongside hers, reinforcing and accentuating the spells she had already set into place. Then, she had to return to the task of forcing the last vestiges of her power to answer her commands in precisely the way she needed. With sweat shimmering on her brow and the last of her magic finally evaporated, she turned to find his gaze on her.

She paused before approaching him, studying the way that his expression pinched and the way that he frowned. When she came within arm's reach, he lifted a hand to hers and tugged her down until she was straddling his hips and he was able to fit his arms around her waist and bury his face in her shoulder. Smoothing her hands down his shoulders and carding her fingers through his hair, she absently noted that he wasn't shaking and that his grip on her wasn't tight enough to tell her that he was _afraid._ He seemed…_exhausted…_and that was it.

As the silence stretched, she kneaded her fingers into his shoulders and sought out the knots that had gathered in his muscles until he released a shuddering sigh and said, finally, "We…underestimated him and he…surrendered. At the end, he _surrendered_. He knew what spell I intended to use and he _allowed_ me to use it. I haven't the faintest idea of what that means for our future, because I don't…know if it worked." And didn't that just sound like it had been ripped out of him to even contemplate admitting?

Carding her fingers through his hair again, she sighed softly. He wasn't just exhausted, he was _doubting _himself. "It's okay, Loki, it's alright. If this is another of his schemes, then we fight him when he comes for us or our children and we _keep_ fighting until we're done, but-" and here she felt his arms tighten briefly around her "-when we've a little more power, we can _check _your spells and see whether or not they host someone living. You did think to incorporate that kind of safeguard, yes?"

He huffed with disdainful amusement, but answered, "Yes."

"Then, we check when we're a little stronger," she said, certainty creeping into her voice, but he still didn't release her or lift his head. There was another question burning at him that she could feel in the tension and lines of his body.

When the last of the knots were gone from his shoulders and Fenrir was beginning to circle them curiously, Loki released a shuddering sigh and asked, "Were we…in the right, Sigyn?"

If she'd had the chance, she'd have ripped Odin's face off and handed it back to him with a smile and a knee to the groin for ever making Loki doubt himself when he should have already known the answer to that type of question. "Loki, love," she said, drawing her fingers through his hair again, but he resisted her draw to get him to look at her. "No. We weren't in the right, but if we had been done right _by_ then we need never have done this. Who are we to choose who lives and who dies as they please? But who was _Odin_ to decide how our children were to be treated and killed when we, the parents, still had right _by law_ to raise them?" And he finally, _finally_ relaxed his grip on her enough that she could lean back and cradle his face between her palms as she continued, "We weren't in the right for killing those that we did, but I wouldn't undo it for all the gold or time in the universe. I wouldn't trade our children for any throne within the nine realms or any outside them. _They_ are worth every ounce of blood I shed, every life I ended and I would do it all again if I had to."

She saw it settle in his eyes and in the lines that smoothed away from his features and she darted a quick kiss against his lips that made him smile a fraction. "You, female, are insane," he murmured and she chuckled.

"Yes, well. It takes a special kind of insane to be married to you," she returned.

And when they checked in the morning before moving on, the spell registered something _living_ inside the wards. Loki still didn't feel the sense of satisfaction he had thought this victory would bring him. Instead, he felt only relief when he looked at Fenrir and Sleipnir and he decided that it was enough, for him and them.

* * *

When Thor and his warriors finally arrived, they found that the fight had already been fought and lost. There was only the tending to the dead, cleaning away the debris, and chipping their warriors from the ice left. The treasure room, they reported, was _miraculously_ left untouched despite that their ruler was missing. The warriors tending to their dead brought to his attention the worrying fact that there were so few Siege Wolf corpses among the Vanir.

Finding his mother directing the aftermath of the battle brought him little relief despite that she was alive. Explaining in private what he knew to have truly happened to his father left Frigga a little shaken and a little grief stricken even as she looked more than a touch hopeful. And when she asked the hard questions, he had no answers for how long was proper to wait until he allowed the nobles to crown him or even if he should call his siblings traitors.

Scouts sent to sweep the area around where the Vanir camp produced the expected news. They had fled or vanished and there was no sign of Angrboda. For the moment, Thor set that aside to deal with first securing their walls and the immediate area around them. When that was done, Thor ordered Heimdall to return with the merchants and other non-warriors so that the rebuilding of the city could begin in earnest.

For their part, the people were just as happy as anything with the news that most of the invading force had been killed in the battle that had taken their king. They were unsurprised to learn that their fallen prince had had a hand in Odin's disappearance. Over the next few weeks in the evenings when they had had just a few too many drinks, they would converse quietly over the ways that Odin was rumored to have treated his younger, _adopted_ son. They also took note of the way that Thor seemed reluctant to send any number of warriors after them or name them traitors. Their heir might not have had a hand in his father's disappearance but the way that he almost refused to pursue his siblings told them enough of where his loyalties lay.

Besides, who could forget the way that the second prince's wife had healed their wounds for little to no coin over the years? And then they had to wonder how being less than a warrior had earned as much spite as Loki had for fighting with magic-unless you were one of the warrior class? Therefore, it wasn't surprising that most of the non-warriors found their sympathy leaning a little towards the second prince and his wife rather than their missing king and why, when it was discovered, a little glen was quietly passed over when they did their own hunting. A few individuals even went so far as to discourage the warriors from passing anywhere near that particular glen with stories of better game further into the mountains and miles away.

When the chaos had finally settled enough for them Thor to receive reports on less important items such as the inventory of the stables and what horses were still in good riding condition, no one understood why he laughed uproariously over the frantic report that detailed the theft of his father's once prized steed. It took him a week after that to soothe the head groomsman's pride and get him to return to work.

* * *

_Three weeks later_

Sigyn let the branches of the willow flow from her fingers as she noted the third group of individuals that week look over their hiding spot with interest and then deliberately turn away. If she hadn't known which spells were in place and how well anchored she _and_ Loki had made them, she would have sworn that they knew the wolves were sunning themselves in the glen just three feet from where she stood.

Fenrir lifted his head from the back of one of his packmates and watched the three Asgardians wander away, likely looking for fruits and places where they could set a trap for small game. Then, he returned his muzzle to its former resting place and shut his eyes. _Nonpack two-leggers strange,_ he commented sleepily to her.

She only chuckled before she turned back to renewing the spells on one of the Siege Wolves who had contracted a nasty infection from one of his wounds. The beige wolf looked longingly at the sun where a number of her packmates had gathered and then back to Sigyn. Another moment and she started to fidget and prick her ears when three wolves leapt up from the pile and started a game of chase. They were, of course, careful to avoid the area where the _non-prey_ and _second sire_ were enjoying the sun under the shade of an oak. Sigyn released the female to their game before she joined her husband and Sleipnir in the shade of the oak.

She was still amazed, sometimes, how little effort it had taken them to acclimate the eight-legged, dapple grey stallion to the packs and the packs to Sleipnir. There _had_ been the initial mistrust of predator and prey, but Loki's familiar scent and her coaxing of Fenrir had worked wonders and their children were no longer looking to eat or brain one another.

"Another day, perhaps two, and I will be confident that the wolves who were wounded will be able to withstand an inter-realm teleportation," she said, plucking his journal from his hands to settle against his chest before she gave it back.

"I _told_ you we could have started transporting the stronger ones a week ago. I was strong enough to teleport a number of them a week and a half ago," he replied, making a final notation before he snapped the book closed and vanished it and the quill.

"And this matters how?" she asked. "Tony will have needed time to find a suitable place for us anyways. This just ensures that we have a better chance he has finished dealing with the human laws for such matters." She felt his chest rise and fall in a quick sigh. "Oh, don't be like that, Lok'. I know you're bored, but I want to be absolutely sure."

He chuckled and flicked a bit of hair into her face. "I am not _bored _as you deem it. I have simply been…_idle_…too long and I wish to separate Sleipnir from the packs. Tell me you do not see the way that some of them look at him when they think we are not looking."

She tilted her head back against his shoulder and the look she gave him was a mix of amusement and disbelief. "Yes, I've seen it, but I also take note of how quickly Fenrir is to bite those that _do_ try to look at him like another meal, but, I do see your point. Tomorrow is soon enough for us to begin looking at where Tony is on acquiring the land and what spells might be possible to cast in the meantime."

The journal appeared again in his hands and he settled it in her lap, flipping to a particular page. "Now that we have that settled, I want to ask your opinion of something. I have an idea of how we might be able to reverse the effects of the spells that Odin did, but-"

"There is no way to undo a spell anchored into their bones," she interrupted shortly, shifting the book away. It hurt too much to hope and she wasn't sure she could take what hope his ideas would instill in her.

He snapped the journal shut and vanished it, leaving his hand free to turn her chin up so he could catch her eye. "I remember the first cardinal rule of magic well enough, love, and I'm not suggesting that we tamper with the fundamental laws. What I am _thinking_ we may be able to do is teach them to _shape-shift_, but that would depend upon our ability to teach them how to cast and if they even _have_ the ability to use magic." His eyes slid to Sleipnir's sleeping form and he added, more quietly, "It will also depend greatly upon whether or not we can help restore their sentience to a point where learning magic can be something more useful than a means of survival."

Her eyes closed against the flare of hope that clawed its way into her heart. She had been right, the hope _was_ bitterly painful because she knew the chances of failure. It wasn't until Fenrir trotted over to lay next to her that she realized she had turned her head into Loki's shoulder to hide the tears. It would be, she realized, a task much harder than capturing Odin.

* * *

_A/N: Thank you to my reviewers: wbss21, no-MY name's Anonymous, and Maia2. Your reviews, as always, are a pleasure to receive and read._

_To the rest of my readers: This chapter took a little longer to write since it did turn into something about twice the size of what I normally write. I considered breaking it into two different chapters, but the events interwove themselves far too tightly for me to even look at it like that. Hopefully, you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it._

_Also, feel free to take a look at the poll on my profile page. The answers may have an impact on the sequel. _


	27. Chapter 27

_A/N: I have decided that the best way to work with the new Iron Man movie is to treat it as I have the other movies to this point, which is to say that it already happened. So, in the time that Loki, Sigyn, and the others returned to Asgard, Tony managed to threaten his terrorist, get his Malibu house blown up, and rescue Pepper. He has not, however, yet managed to reverse the effects of Extremis or gone through the operation and Happy is not quite yet revived. Please note, I will also be pulling a few details from _Ironman: Extremis _as well as the movie_.

* * *

With half the tablet screen in front of him full of equations and other notes concerning the Extremis project, Tony was only half paying attention to the board meeting that he was attending in Pepper's place. Beside it was the prototype of the phone he had tasked his engineering team to work on. Across from him sat his five other board members.

He idly turned the phone over again and studied its clunky casing and suppressed a sigh. Geoff really had no sense of style. "Looks a little too generic," he said, leaning back from his tablet momentarily to flip it on and thumb through the screen. "The Stark 99, hm? It could use an anti-glare screen." By the time that he found the notes section of the phone, he was muttering to himself and already revising how he could improve on this particular design. _Send memo to engineering test department, re: ocular key-board,_ he typed out. The responsiveness of the existing keyboard was adequate and he _did_ like the edge-to-edge screen, the waterproofing, and the fingerprint unlocking, but it was still _clunky_.

In his most droll tones, Jarvis said, "It may interest you, sir, to know that I have received one of our previous guests at the New York Tower."

Leaning forward to slide his fingers against the tablet's screen, he tapped out, _I thought we decided we didn't need to lodge together since there has been no…_supervillan_…activity of late and Princess cleared out a couple weeks ago with Reindeer games in tow._ Jarvis hadn't been fond of the nicknames he insisted on using "just in case" someone hacked his personal communications. It wasn't likely that it _could_ happen, but with the events that had recently taken place, he felt justified in this precaution.

He wouldn't admit it, even to Jarvis, but he had _hoped_ that she would return in time to help him with the Mandrin and sort through Extremis. Though he _knew _that he and Bruce were close to cracking the formula for reversing and stabilizing its effects, he _wanted _Sigyn to take a look at what was happening with Pepper and give him a second opinion on the amount of time that was left. That she hadn't already returned unsettled him a little. Sure, the mini-war they had left to rage would have taken time, but with Thor, Loki, _and_ Sigyn heading it he would have thought it would be done by now.

"Sir," Jarvis said, interrupting his thoughts. "It _is_ Sigyn. She teleported into the room that you gave her upon her last visit. Readings indicate that she is alone and scans taken of her vitals suggest that she is healthier than the last time that she was here. Currently, I am engaged in conversation with her."

Restraining himself from jumping up and running out of the room was one of the hardest things he had ever had to do. While still half listening to the other board members, he tapped out, _Tell her what happened. See if she has anything to say about it._

"You've been out of touch," Geoff, from Stark Enterprises' board of directors, spoke for the other four that sat beside and across from him. Tony had to blink and recall the current topic he was actually discussing with his executives. "We're calling it the Stark Beam 01 now. We agreed with you to build in messaging functions that circumvent network settings. Phone companies will hate us, but there are a lot more consumers than phone companies. Your test handset there has a special stage of functionality. It connects directly to the Stark Zipsat Constellation."

"And it has satellite Internet access?" he asked, almost marveling at the ugly little plastic device now.

"Once we-well, I mean, Iron Man makes a few adjustments to the motherboard on the main Zipsat satellite, yes. The mobile will have Zipsat broadband access, faster than any phone than any phone network."

He spun the phone idly on the table and caught it again before he said, "Easy enough. I'll have Jarvis look at when there might be a suborbital space flight leaving the planet and see if I can arrange something with them to hitch a lift into the upper edge of the mesosphere. What other surprises does this phone hold for me?"

Jarvis chose that particular moment to relay, "Sir, upon arriving she asked whether or not you had completed the necessary transactions for the last request she made of you before departing. Judging by the urgency of the question, she has immediate need of the land. Her husband, it appears, has stayed behind to continue caring for their current predicament."

_Uhhhh…_ he tapped out. Truthfully, between Pepper's situation and the Mandrin he had forgotten to do more than look at the prospect of buying a remote island or tract of land.

"With respect to the events of the last three weeks, I thought it best to handle the item of interest for you, sir," Jarvis said and Tony felt a rush of gratitude for his AI. "As such, I have transmitted the coordinates to her and she appears to be communicating them to her husband. After she has completed her communications, I shall brief her on the events that took place in their absence."

_You're a life saver, J. Relay to her my congrats on the successful rescue of her son and the completion of her mini-war._ With that, he felt free to turn his attention back to the meeting at hand. He frowned as he picked up where the thread of conversation had lead back to.

Geoff, not being privy to Tony and Jarvis' secure conversations, said, "You can also hook it up to any computer, wirelessly or tethered. Click on settings and you'll see options for different operating systems. This phone is going to storm the consumer end of the market, once we make a deal with a telecom company."

Across the tablet's screen, he tapped out, _Any news for me, J? How's Bruce doing on his own?_

"Nothing new as yet to report on working out the formulas," Jarvis answered.

Tony glanced up at his executives and took note of the closed, carefully blank looks that they were studying him with. To the board room, he posed the question, "Who's going to want to make a deal with us if we don't need them for half the functions on our phone?"

"That's a sticking point," Geoff admitted.

"Buy a telecom company, then."

"Tony, we're running low on funds. Cutting the military contracts and building the arc reactors for your current projects has almost entirely depleted our primary research funds."

He sat back in the chair, scowling at the executives. It was looking to be another fight on how the company was going to be run. Hell, he wouldn't have been surprised if the others had sided with Geoff. "Come off it, Geoff. How many times are we going to go at it? I'm not stepping down, handing control of the company to anyone else, licensing technologies elsewhere, _or_ taking on military contracts. I won't trust Stark Industries to anyone save myself or Ms. Potts."

"And with your…_responsibilities_…as Iron Man and to the Avengers, you barely have enough time look twice at your company. You know that phone would have already been done if you'd been involved and it wouldn't have been so ugly, either. Handing control of the company to Ms. Potts was one of the best decisions you've made since you took control of the company, but with Ms. Potts' current condition…" Geoff said, pausing under Tony's glare before continuing, "Well, perhaps it would be best to hand temporary control of the company to someone else to allow yourself to focus your full attention on…researching her cure."

There was a pause before Jarvis said, "Ms. Potts has asked me to pass along an item that they may find to be of great personal interest to them. At the next board meeting, one of the items to be discussed would have been the budget cuts. According to the accounting department, clause sixty-three, paragraph two of the employment contracts shall be enforced wherein all Stark Industry employees shall take a salary decrease of at least five percent in times when the company's primary funds for research and development of staple products and designs reaches a critical point. The pay cut for each management level above that of a basic employee shall be taking an additional one percent cut."

The corner of Tony's mouth twitched as he did the math and came to the conclusion that each member of the board in this room-himself included-would be taking a salary cut of twenty-five percent or better. On the tablet he tapped to Jarvis, _You were bidding your time on that particular new, you crafty bastard._ To Geoff and the other board members, he said, "Ms. Potts will be fine and-in the meantime-might I suggest that all of us start looking at our finances to determine where we may trim some _fat-_" his hard gaze centered on Geoff particularly for that "-from our budgets. We are, after all, going to _all_ be losing approximately twenty-five percent of our annual salaries until our current projects start turning a better profit."

Geoff turned a very interesting shade of purple while the other board members turned a nasty shade of green. "You can't-" Geoff began.

"Actually, I can," Tony said, standing and clearing the tablet's screen. "Clause sixty-three, paragraph two of your contracts. If you didn't read the fine print, that's not my problem. Don't like it? Get another job." He gave his executives his back as he said, "J, get the suit ready and let them know I'm on my way."

"Already done, sir. Mark (46?) is available and awaiting you outside the lobby doors, though I do suggest that you hurry. It is beginning to gather quite a crowd."

* * *

Sigyn had _wanted_ to return to Loki and help him teleport the wolves and Sleipnir to their temporary home, _knowing_ how temperamental her husband could get, but this had taken precedence as soon as she understood the scope of their situation. Loki, she _knew,_ could handle a few hours of organizing the wolves and scaring them senseless if they tried to so much as look at Sleipnir wrong. With Fenrir there coordinating with him, she wasn't concerned about them at all. Pepper glowing a deep shade of orange _did_ concern and slightly disturb her.

"It's…really not as bad as it looks," Pepper tried to assure her, but Sigyn pursed her lips and cast the spell again.

"Your organs are slowly disintegrating with the heat of your body at a rate that your enhanced healing abilities cannot cope with," she said, looking through the results again. "Humans generally emit a body temperature of...what was it Jarvis?"

"Ninety-eight point six degrees Fahrenheit for a healthy adult female," he replied.

"That. Thank you. And _you, _Pepper, emit a body temperature approximately six degrees higher than is healthy for your kind," she said, looking sidelong at the other woman. "Your body may have accepted the chemical changes organically induced, but that doesn't mean that your species was _meant_ to handle this kind of power and strength at this point in your evolution."

Caught in her own lie, Pepper turned her face from Sigyn and sighed. "Tony is working on it. A way to reverse it, I mean, and he's got the best doctors in the world on speed dial 'in case there's anything at all that you need'-as he put it. He's…doing the best he can and he'll do it."

Sigyn smiled slightly and laid a hand on Pepper's shoulder, power sparking at her fingertips. "I've no doubt of that, but at this rate I give you two weeks before your body starts to become unstable and you turn into a charged mixture of fluids and chemicals. One spark after that and you'd explode." Something flickered in her eyes, but it vanished too quickly for Sigyn to analyze. "In any case, I can't extract this…_Extremis_…from you without exchanging your blood and all of your bone marrow. I might be able to counter some of the effects its currently having on you _if_ you are willing to allow me to cast spells on you beyond a basic diagnostic."

Something flickered through Pepper's gaze again. "What _kind_ of spells? The diagnostic ones you used on me were observed and verified by Jarvis in the past."

It finally registered, the look that kept dancing through Pepper's eyes: _mistrust._ She dropped her hand from Pepper's shoulder and studied her. "These are fairly simple spells since I'm not entirely sure how well suited to your species and your situation they would be. A regenerative healing and cooling spell wouldn't conflict if cast together. If you would like, I can cast them on something and have Jarvis verify the effects that they have on the object."

The look flickered again before Pepper looked away again. "No. That's not…It isn't necessary. You've proven you mean us no harm and I've no reason to believe that you would go back on your word now, but…" she paused and Sigyn saw the familiar wash of memory roll through a different gaze and saw her lips tighten as lines carved themselves around her eyes.

"-but you remember the pain," she finished softly.

Pepper looked at her sidelong. "Yes, I do." She inhaled a sharp breath and looked at the far wall of the medical wing. "And I remember what I did with this…_stuff_…flowing in me. Will your magic mix favorably with the Extremis serum? Can I trust that it won't make me into something else?"

_Fear_ not _mistrust_, then, she realized with a staggering sort of relief. "Jarvis," Sigyn said. "Have I given you any reason to doubt my abilities to handle situations like this?"

There was a reluctant pause before Jarvis answered, "You saved sir's life, but Ms. Potts life is another matter entirely. Sir _is_ working on a solution. He…can handle this."

"But within the next two weeks? Can you assure that? I'm not going to be able to attend to you every moment of every day, Pepper," she said, moving close again and taking Pepper's hand. "Will you trust me, as a _Healer_, when I promise you this isn't going to go badly? I will swear on Fenrir's life, on my _husband's_ life, that I know what I will not let this change you again."

"Now that's a promise I'll hold you to, Sigyn," came Tony's voice as he entered the medical wing. "You wouldn't bargain the lives of your family unless you were absolutely certain."

She frowned at him, her eyes trailing over his arms and chest before returning to his face. "I bargain nothing, Tony," she said before turning back to Pepper. "Do you wish to proceed?"

Pepper's gaze flicked to Tony and then she nodded. The spells themselves were easy enough to apply, but monitoring the fluctuation in her body for the next hour and adjusting for fluctuations wasn't the emergency that Tony had thought it would be. In the end, his help had been sidelined for Sigyn's and glad though he was for the help, he still fidgeted and kept thinking of the work he could be doing on producing a counter.

Finally satisfied with the way the regenerative spell was augmenting her natural healing abilities and the way that the cooling spell had lowered her body temperature, Sigyn stepped back and nodded. Pepper was examining her suddenly orange free skin and smiling slightly. "That should buy you two extra weeks before I have to start monitoring you on an hourly basis," Sigyn said. "I don't suggest that you try to breathe fire like you did in the past to expel the heat. I would also strongly recommend that you go easy on your physical stress. Cold showers should suffice for when your body temperature reaches an uncomfortable degree."

He was already running the odds and calculating the odds of different theories working before others. "Two weeks? That should be-"

"A month," Sigyn corrected him. "The spells will last for a month before her body will become unstable and I need to adjust them every hour."

Pepper saw the relief flicker across his face and felt something uncoil inside her. He was close, he was _very _close and that meant she wouldn't ever endanger him with the instability of her own body. Sigyn moved towards Tony and he stepped back, hands raised, and Pepper blinked at the guarded look he was giving the Healer.

"I'm going to want to check you over as well, Tony," Sigyn said.

"I'm fine, better than fine, actually," he said too quickly for either of their liking.

Pepper rose from where she had been seated and crossed the room to stand by Sigyn. "Tony," she began, the syllables drawn out in a way that made him look slightly panicked. "Have you been forgetting to sleep when I'm not looking? Bruce forgets to eat as much as you do."

Sigyn was still looking at him oddly, trying to determine the differences in his body without casting the spells. "No," she murmured. "That's not it. Jarvis, have you been doing scans for traces of magical signatures?"

"On a bi-hourly basis," the AI responded. "There has been no detectable activity. I have also been monitoring Dr. Banner and Sir's schedules and ensuring that they get enough nutrition and rest through approved and necessary means."

Tony cast his AI a sour look, remembering the last black-out that had occurred just after a major breakthrough. Jarvis had refused them access to anything electronic for a full twelve hours and even then they had had to eat two full meals before he turned back on the power for the hard-drives. Dummy had been under strict orders to spray them with the fire extinguisher if they came anywhere near the lab.

"Tony," Sigyn said and stepped towards him again. "Of the modifications that you made to your suit recently, did you add anything to your body? You seem…off to me. Not in a bad way. It's just…you're different than you were and I _know_ how you were before."

He glanced at his forearms and sighed before running his fingers through his hair. "It's…a long story. Why don't you finish with your family and all that great stuff with moving realms. We can do dinner or something and I'll swap you stories." His gaze flashed to Pepper and he shared a smile with her. "Take out?"

"Already ordered, sir," Jarvis said when Pepper just chuckled.

Tony looked at Sigyn again and asked, "What food does your son take?"

Sigyn blinked, reviewed everything she had told him, and laughed. "Raw steak and grass." When he cast her a puzzled look, she elaborated, "Loki and I took from out fight more than one of our sons. My husband is teleporting Sleipnir, Fenrir, and sixty Siege Wolves to the coordinates that Jarvis imparted to me." The color drained from his face and she could only huff her amusement. "No, Tony, the wolves would not be accompanying me back tonight and I have no doubt that Loki will prefer to remain with the wolves to ensure they do not try to eat Sleipnir. My son is nothing if not diligent, but the instincts of a wild animal are hard to overcome even for a White Alpha."

"Oh!" Pepper said and Tony's eyebrows rose in his surprise.

"So…when you say Sleipnir, you mean the horse that he…uh…gave…uh…never mind," he muttered under Sigyn's sudden glare. "Right, not my business."

"Not, it's not," she bit off. "And he won't take kindly to questions like that, either, so do yourself a favor and _don't_ ask. Fenrir and Sleipnir are _ours_. Anything else doesn't matter. Their other birth parents are a…a non-entity." She turned sharply from them and stepped away, magic rippling across her skin and making the air shimmer a little as she moved. "Loki is going to teleport me out in a moment, and I would ask that when I return _please_ do not ask me of how our children were born. There are events in our past that we…haven't dealt with very well. The circumstances surrounding Fenrir, Hela, and Sleipnir's births are just a few of those _events_ we would sooner forget. We love our children and we have each other and _that_ is what matters."

_Afghanistan_ and _blinding terror _and _Obadiah_ flashed across his mind even as his eyes flicked to Pepper and he recalled the moments he had shut down questions about what had happened with her. "No worries. I get it," he said. "Wounds like that aren't meant to be poked at." He had barely finished speaking before she simply vanished, leaving an empty space where she had been standing. On an impulse, he closed the distance between him and Pepper, wrapped her in a tight hug, and tucked his face into her shoulder. She just returned the hug and settled her cheek on his shoulder.

* * *

When the darkness and the stars evaporated from the sudden teleportation, she blinked against the sudden sunlight and shaded her eyes against it. Squinting, she still didn't quite believe what she was seeing. The island around her was heavily wooded and showed no signs of having been altered by humanity. The lush green of the trees and the ferns stood out starkly against the browns and blacks of the dirt beneath her feet and against the reds, pinks, and yellows of the flowers she could see in the bushes here and there. That still didn't quite allow her to believe that she wasn't hallucinating the sight of Loki glaring at her from beneath the forms of no less than six Siege Wolves piled on top of him.

The wolves looked at her and immediately yipped their welcome before letting their tongues loll out in a happy sort of pant. Around the pile, the rest of the wolves had spread out and found different spots to sun themselves in their own smaller piles. Instead of ordering the wolves to get _off_ her husband, she broke down into hysterics and sank to the ground clutching at her sides. Various howls and yips joined her mirth as she laughed herself out.

After a full minute, Loki said, "Amusing as this is, I need them _off_ so that I may retrieve our sons." The venom laced honey tone in his voice told her she would pay dearly for her fun later, but it was with only a mild regret that she started gasping to try and control herself.

Wiping at the tears of amusement that had gathered at the corner of her eyes, she couldn't help continuing to chuckle when she pointed at the wolves laying on him and said, "You heard him, _off_. Go find another place to sun yourselves."

The wolves whined at her and seemed to curl in on themselves, conveniently burying him further beneath their fur and setting her off again until she was curled on her side in the dry dirt. "_Sigyn!_" came the muffled protest.

"D-don't make me t-turn it into an o-order," she managed to gasp out and the wolf on top of the pile finally slunk off and trotted away, ears pricked and tail high like she had done something clever. By the time that the last wolf had departed from their game of pinning Loki, she was on her back and simply grinning at the sunlight streaming through the shadows to touch her face. When his shadow cut through the sun to land on her, she tilted her head back to meet his glare and smirk at him. "Did you trip and fall into them or did you get ambushed?"

There was only the slightest of pauses before he answered, "The latter, though I see you have taken great amusement at my…mishap."

"The mythical god of Fire, Mischief, and Chaos caught beneath a wolf pile? Yes, of _course_ I am going to laugh at you, darling, _dearest_ husband mine," she chuckled.

The corner of his mouth was twitching when he said, "Mmmm…Yes, well. We'll see who takes amusement at the other's expense tonight, shall we?"

That had her grinning all the more before she rolled onto her stomach and kicked her feet up and under her, launching her three steps forward. He matched her smile and maintained the distance between them. She shifted her stance and followed his movement, but he held up a hand to stall the game before it could truly begin. "I must first retrieve Fenrir and Sleipnir and then we must erect the spells that will ward away unwanted attention from the humans. After that, we can…_test_…the acreage of this land and determine where we might find certain areas," he said, voice husky in a way that made her laugh and blush all at once.

When he vanished, he was gone for only a handful of moments. It was long enough for a few of the wolves to slit open their eyes to look sidelong at where he had teleported from and close their eyes again before he returned with Fenrir and Sleipnir in the final trip between Earth and Asgard. Fenrir merely yipped at her before he bounded off towards the nearest pile of wolves to join them and Sleipnir lipped once at his sire's clothes before he took off, tail streaming behind him, into a deeper part of the forest. A few of the wolves yipped at Sleipnir's sudden departure, but none dared to chase him when Fenrir growled in warning at them.

In the hour that followed, they started at one end of the island and cast the spells that would keep humans from prying too closely into their privacy. They shielded themselves from sight, from sound, from scent and warded against those that would come by sea. For all intents and purposes, the island shimmered in a haze of heat and disappeared from all scopes of sight. With that complete, they turned their attention to creating anchors to make the spell permanent.

At the first anchor site, he slid his hands along her arms and pressed his chest to her back while they cast the spell and pooled their magic together. When it was done, she caught his neck and stole a kiss before he teleported them to the next site they wanted for an anchor. Their game continued in light brushes against each other, the tickling of breath against her ear as he cast, the lingering way she caught his hand in hers to combine their magic, the way his hand rested on her hip when he pulled her close for the casting until they reached the final anchor point.

As the last of the magic fizzled and sparked between them, Sigyn rose on her toes and caught his shoulders. With a grin, she kissed him and felt the way his hands slid against her just before another spell wrapped around her and jerked her through the paths between time and space to deposit her before a startled…Clint.

_Clint?_

It took her brain a moment to process what Loki had done before she smoothed her hands down her shirt and smiled ruefully at the archer. They were, she realized, in the target range-as evidenced by the bullseyes that were peppered with arrows. Clint even had an arrow knocked on his bow. "You can teleport?" he asked.

"No, but my husband does have a warped sense of humor sometimes," she answered.

"Knew that," he grunted, lining up his shot again. "So, just for giggles-and because Cap wants us to be _sure_-what did I try the first night I met you?"

There was a pause before she chuckled and answered, "You tried and _failed_ to approach me with hostile intent. We spoke briefly that night and you returned to your own quarters and never tried that stunt again."

_Thuk._

The arrow quivered where it struck the bullseye. He relaxed his grip on his bow and set about dismantling it. "Why did you let me go that night? You could have killed me and Jarvis would have backed you on it being self-defense," he said without looking at her.

She studied him for a long moment as he put the bow away into his case. "I'm not a killer, Hawk. Most of the time, I leave the bloodletting to my husband, brother, and their friends and I'm the one to patch them up when they return. You weren't…out for one of them. That night, you came for me and that was something I could forgive. Had you gone for Thor instead, that night, I wouldn't have hesitated."

He only glanced at her as he straightened and shouldered the case. "Good enough," he said. "Thank you…for being honest."

"So…why are you here? I thought you lot had gone back to your own lives," she said, following him out of the room.

One of his shoulders rose in a jerky movement. "We weren't sure it was a good idea to send Darcy and Jane home with no idea of what your Enchantress was doing, but we had missions we had to complete for SHIELD and Bruce wasn't comfortable with being left alone with the girls so I stayed. Bruce _did_ leave for about a week and then the Mandrin thing happened and Tony brought him back to help with Pepper."

"Well, then, I suppose it's a good thing we sorted Angrboda when we did," she muttered, almost to herself as she kept pace with the archer.

Clint glanced at her sidelong and almost smiled. "That's one of the things you're going to tell us about at dinner, right?" he asked.

"Of course," she laughed. "Stories and food and ale are the pastime of all good comrades." And when she smiled this time, he returned it.

* * *

_Thank you to my reviewers: Maia2, wbss21, and The Creature._


	28. Chapter 28

Tony-she was unsurprised to find-was covered in grease, his hair mussed and slightly singed, and frowning intently at a new collection of notes that Jarvis had transferred to his tablet in the dining room. A plate of cold, untouched food sat next to him at the table and Pepper was in the living room, feet tucked under her as she flipped through the latest news.

The inventor barely looked up when Clint entered the room. "Food was order out again. Chinese tonight. Help yourself," he said waving at the cartons. "Leftovers are in the fridge from last night."

Clint made a face at the cold food and opened the fridge while Sigyn stood at the edge of the dining room and studied Tony. From the fridge, Clint pulled out part of a leftover pizza and stuck it in the microwave. When Sigyn finally moved into the main room, Tony looked up at her with a blank look that vanished after a moment and he recalled what they had had planned for the night. "Uh…" he started eloquently and she could almost _see_ him still sorting through his notes on Extremis.

"Finish up that last thought and come join us when you have it down," she suggested, recalling the many times she had handled Loki after weeks of seclusion. She blinked and, just for a moment, superimposed a quill into Tony's hand and replaced the tablet with parchment and she had to chuckle. Really, the two of them were similar in their approach to a problem, if not of a similar mindset when it came to their projects. Anything else and she suspected that they would argue vehemently.

In lieu of comparing the scientist and the sorcerer, she turned to the familiar kitchen and looked through the food and the leftovers. By the time that she had collected a sufficient amount of ingredients that _looked_ edible, Pepper had switched off the TV and slid up beside Tony to start closing out of a few of his programs while he was working on something else. Finally, he threw his hands up in the air and sighed. "Between you and Jarvis, I'm certain I'll get nothing else done. I give up," he chuckled as he draped an arm around Pepper's shoulders.

Carding his fingers through Pepper's hair, he kissed her forehead and returned the amused look that she was giving him. The warmth of her body folded into his side had never felt so _normal_, he realized with a rush of gratitude. When his gaze flicked to Sigyn, he wasn't surprised when she held it. Then, Clint made a gagging noise that had them blinking and looking at him as he dumped the pizza into the sink and flicked on the garbage disposal. The sound of it drew Sigyn over and she watched the water run into the drain at Clint's side as the archer gave his former dinner a disgusted look.

"Garlic does _not_ go well with pineapple," he muttered, casting an annoyed look at the scientist before he flicked the garbage disposal off again. He smacked Sigyn's hand away when she twitched towards the switch. Then, he blinked at what he had done and looked sidelong at the amused expression she was giving him. "Uh…" he started, stepping away from her. "Sorry. Force of habit with Nat. She tends to get into the worst of situations by and large because she can't keep her curiosity to herself."

She flicked the switch on at that point just on principle and then jumped at the dry wheezing scream it emitted with no water or food to grab onto. Jarvis switched the disposal off when she leaned over the sink to get a better look at it. "Jarvis!" she protested, toggling the switch on and off with no success.

"My apologies, Ms. Sigyn, but it appears that you have…broken it," he said dryly and she chuckled, abandoning the newest technology.

"Alright. I give up, but I'll want to take another look at it before I leave," she said, turning back to Tony. "So, you or me?" she asked him, taking up the cooking again. Clint perched himself on one of the bar stools at the counter and watched her make some semblance of a meal for them.

"Me, I think," Tony said, his voice a little rough. "Brains before beauty, as they say." He frowned at how he had worded the saying.

"In that case, perhaps Ms. Sigyn would be better to go first since you fit neither category, sir," Jarvis said dryly.

Tony tossed his AI a dirty look as Pepper chuckled. "Oh, I think he's a little better than falling into the 'brains' category. Genius isn't, after all, a term that most can claim. Beauty? I think that better applies to me, don't you think?"

He could only smile at her for that. "Well, I suppose the simplest way to start would be to say, a change of location was probably a bad idea…"

Though Jarvis had given her an idea of what had happened, there were still a few parts that startled her-like the way he could summon his suit now-and the fact that he had _threatened a terrorist_ practically to his face had her chuckling a little. The rest of it kept her sobered and almost wishing she had listened to Loki a little earlier when he had told her he was strong enough to teleport her to Tony and ask about the project she had asked of him. The only pause in his telling came when Clint snatched his food from the counter and whisked it away to the table where he dug in heartily. Sigyn could only chuckle when she set another plate before Tony and gave Pepper the other one. Then he was done and she could only eye the scientist in appreciation.

"Well. That was one hell of a gift," she said and shared a glance with Pepper. "You have, I take it, almost completed unlocking Extremis' secrets?"

He waved a hand at her in a dismissal. "Understanding it isn't the issue. Undoing it _is_," he said. "Bruce and I were almost sure we had it this afternoon, but…well…" He shrugged and shook his head. "Apparently not. We're going to approach it from the side tonight and see if that helps any." There was a pause and she almost said something, but, "Your turn. Tell us about your mini-war that you waged with Thor and Reindeer Games," made the words slip from her mind.

"Where would you like me to begin?" she asked.

"When you teleported out of here, where did you end up?" Clint asked promptly. "Start there."

It was easier than she had thought it would be to tell their tale of what had happened. The only pause came when Clint slipped into the kitchen behind her and started cleaning everything up. By the look on Tony's face, the archer wasn't usually the one to take care of such tasks. She could only chuckle at the response before diving right back into the way they had had to rip themselves out of the dream-trap Odin had crafted for them. When she finished with the Loki's final teleporting of the wolves and Sleipnir, her throat was dry and she could use that as an excuse to turn from the mingled looks of shock and pity at how Odin had taken a victory from them.

Her fingers had only just touched the glass when Jarvis asked, "Are you certain that the one contained _is_ the Allfather that has done you so much harm? You mentioned that you checked for signs of life within the prison, but did they grant you a visual of _who_ was contained?"

Glass shattered against the hardwood floor when it dropped from between numb fingers. Her eyes were wide with shock and a little terror as she considered the possibilities. How many places could he have gone between one breath and the next? He had _known_ what the spell was before Loki even cast it. There could have been countermeasures put in place to teleport himself away and let someone else take his place. If he had done such a thing, where would he have gone? The answer presented itself to her almost before she had finished her thought: Angrboda.

She turned from the cabinets, away from the food and took one step forward before she could stop herself. Tony, Pepper, and Clint were watching her, gauging how she would respond. Instead of flying off into action as her body demanded, she stepped back and leaned against the counter to grip its edge and will herself to _calm down._ "No, no it did not, Jarvis. I don't know if the spell worked properly in that case," she said, trying not to let her mind spin into the possibilities again.

"You know," Clint started, "I find it hard to believe that _any_one could be paranoid enough to guard against all possible spells that your husband would have chosen to use." There was a pause and she saw the dark shadow of memory pass through his mind. "Very likely, he was prepared for some, but not the one that was actually used. It would have drained an awful lot of power to keep that many spells active, but that's just my opinion." And that, more than anything, leeched most of the anxiety in her. It wasn't enough to make her entirely comfortable or not want to check, but she no longer felt the edge of panic she had. The archer met her gaze and then turned away. "I'm gonna go make sure Darcy and Jane have eaten tonight. They can be worse than Stark in a project mode and they've been swearing up and down they've almost got the calculations right."

Tony just threw a bit of food at Clint as he retreated before turning his tablet back on. Pepper had long since given her plate to Clint and walked back into the living room where she could pick up what she had left off doing. Before Sigyn could so much as move out of the kitchen, Tony said, "Before you hare off after that spell, why don't you pop in and say hi to the girls? They've been worried enough over you and Thor to give themselves an ulcer. I'm sure Bruce wouldn't mind visual confirmation that you actually succeeded, but Jarvis finally got him to crash an hour or so ago so I doubt we'll be seeing him any time soon."

"Indeed not, sir," Jarvis said. "I shall pass along the information received here tonight and your regards-am I correct in assuming you give them, Ms. Sigyn?" He waited only long enough for her nod before continuing, "But his seclusion and rest shall remain uninterrupted for the next seven hours. At that point, sir, you shall change places with him and _rest_ before you step foot back into your lab to conduct more experiments."

Tony made a rude noise before turning his attention back to his notes. Sigyn could only smile as she watched his mind slide away from their presences and he became absorbed in his work. Crouching down, she gathered up the shattered glass and disposed of it before she straightened and said, "Thank you, Jarvis, for thinking to give us the scepter. I doubt I would have done quite as well as I did if I had not had it."

"You are quite welcome, Ms. Sigyn," was her only response.

* * *

Clint paused in the doorway when he saw the blonde and brown heads bent over a hologram of what looked like a bridge. Jane and Darcy were discussing something in tones so quiet he almost couldn't understand them and what he did catch, they almost could have been speaking another language for he understood of the scientific terms they were bandying about.

Darcy was the first to see him. "Did Tony blow something up again? Or does he want our help on another simulation?" she asked. Taken aback by the abrupt change of direction, Jane looked around at him and only smiled momentarily before she turned back to the hologram and continued tweaking some of her calculations.

"Actually, Sigyn is here," Clint said and that was as far as he got before Jane turned and walked right out the door, her path seemingly intent on the direction he had just come from.

Darcy stared after her boss for a moment before she shook her head. Glancing at the project, Darcy switched the simulation off and started collecting the papers and tablets that had spread out across the table. "That, I suppose, ends that for the day. We'll never get anything productive done while Jane interrogates her."

Clint took in the set of her shoulders and the tension in the lines of her features and almost sighed. "You've been worried, too," he said and Darcy only smiled wanly.

Shuffling the papers into a neat pile on the desk, she said, "Yeah. I have been, but that doesn't mean I'm going to hare off and bombard her with questions or smother her with my presence. She's probably got enough to deal with anyways."

There was a moment of silence and the light tread of feet from the doorway and she thought Clint had left until, "Enough to deal with, yes, but forgetting to at least say hi doesn't get pushed off my list of things to do when I'm here."

Darcy could only grin when she turned to see Sigyn in the doorway. Instead of rushing in to hug the Aseir, she pointed at the table next to Clint where her taser sat and said, "I made some modifications to it. You might find it useful if you find yourself in a tight spot with your Enchantress. Would you be a doll and hand it to her, Clint? Thanks!" She only laughed at the dark look Clint cast her before tossing the little instrument to Sigyn, who caught it and eyed it mistrustfully. "Oh, don't worry. As long as you don't aim it at yourself, you should be fine. Jarvis helped a little with the readings and everything, but you should be able to point it at her and disrupt her casting for a little while with the charge on it." A grin broke out across her lips when Sigyn's features turned thoughtful and the Healer tucked the little device away. "Did you pass Jane? She was just headed your direction."

Sigyn had drawn breath to say something when the light of a spell wrapped around her and she vanished from the spot. Clint sprang away from where she had been and blinked hard before turning to share a concerned look with Darcy.

* * *

The spell deposited her chest first into the forest growth of the island amidst a cacophony of sound. Scrambling to her feet and calling to her the magic for a spell, she looked around in confusion. The wolves had drawn tightly around her and a few that bore burn marks. She could feel the growls vibrating through their bodies and realized that they were yipping to each other and trying to press her and the wounded back, _back_ and _away_ from…Loki and Sleipnir, who seemed surrounded by a shimmering haze of power.

Loki stood in front of his son, his features twisted in anger, while Sleipnir appeared to have sunk his teeth into the collar of Loki's shirt. Fenrir stood between his second sire and his pack, ears flat and teeth bared.

_Back, protect, back,_ Fenrir was calling to his wolves. _Dame and wounded back. Protect. _

Loki cast and she cast its counter before she thought about it. The wolves surged around her and almost knocked her off her feet when they pressed against her, ushered her back, but she struggled against them, wove her way forward, sidestepped those trying to obey their alpha. Loki's gaze locked to hers and she could see the rage flickering through him. "_You_ deal with them, then!" he snarled before he stepped back and twined a hand through Sleipnir's mane and teleported them away.

"Lo-" she began, but he was gone. The wolves redoubled in their attempts to herd her and she let herself be led away, confused and trying to sort through what had happened, but it didn't make sense, none of it did.

* * *

_A/N: Thank you for your patience in waiting for this update. I'd have had it up sooner, but new jobs do tend to distract one from writing! :)_

_Thank you to my reviewers: Maia2, Leoness, and wbss21._


	29. Chapter 29

When she finally had the wolves settled and Fenrir had stopped pacing and growling and looking every direction, she drew him aside and questioned him on what had happened. What he had to say made her hold her head and rub her temples.

_Second sire wrong,_ he growled. _Brother _not _prey. Pack know this. Brother agree to help. We not attack. I show new wolves _how_ to hunt with claws and teeth, not _kill _or hurt him. Brother agree to help._

"You…_asked_…Sleipnir to help you in showing your newest pack additions how to stalk and hunt?" she asked, feeling her knees buckle beneath her. "Loki found you _hunting_ him and attacked? Did you _tell_ him that you were going to be using your brother as practice _before_ you started the hunt?"

She had known that the peace couldn't last, that the truce between the wolves and Sleipnir had been an odd, fragile thing. That Sleipnir and Fenrir got along well enough to sleep side-by-side had helped, had eased some of Loki's fears, but her husband had never trusted the Siege Wolves to fully obey their alpha.

_I…not know how to communicate with him. Talk to you is easy. He not hear like you, not hear like Sleipnir, _Fenrir said, one ear flicking back in his agitation. He paused before asking, _Sleipnir come back? Second sire come back? They pack, pack stay together._

Sigyn could only sigh and thread her fingers through his fur and scratch his ear until he was calm again. "I don't know," she admitted. "If our situations had been reversed and I were the one to have found you stalking Sleipnir, I cannot say I would not have reacted as he had. I will talk to him and try to convince him to bring your brother back, but precautions may be taken. Will you promise to at least _tell_ us before you try and train your wolves using your brother? If you can't find us, then hold off until you can. Can you agree to that?"

_Yes. Brother not prey, not to be used as practice. Brother not to be seen or viewed as prey of any kind. I give order,_ he said solemnly. _I…what is word? I…regret?_

"Sorry. The word is sorry. It means that you are asking for forgiveness for what you have done," she murmured, standing and stroking his fur one last time. "I'm going to find him and relay what you told me. We may not return tonight so you'll have most of the night to hunt for yourselves."

_Good hunting, dame,_ he said as he trotted off to rejoin his packs.

She turned from the wolves that were watching her with one eye and walked along the beach and edge of the forest until she was certain that she was alone. The flicker of power that washed from her reached across their magic to touch Loki's and tell him that she wanted something. There was a pause before she felt an answering flicker of acknowledgement. Another pause and then the familiar spell of teleportation wrapped around her to whisk her from where she was standing.

Instead of yanking her as it had done when he was distracted, it deposited her on the other side of the island as easily as though she had stepped through a door. It told her exactly what she needed to know about his mood between then and now. She was only surprised to find her husband sitting in the shade of a tree rather than looking after Sleipnir. The look that he pinned her with was just shy of hostile and even then it was tinged with a weariness that she hadn't seen on him in several weeks.

"Well. You certainly didn't get too far," she said by way of breaking the silence.

"He bit me and then galloped off when the spell frayed and deposited us here," Loki answered, voice tight.

There was another brief silence before Sigyn sighed and moved towards him. He, obviously, wasn't going to be the first to break it. Sinking down behind him, she could only be relieved that he wasn't twitching away from her in his anger. Digging her fingers into his shoulders and kneading the tension from his muscles, she hummed a familiar tune until he relaxed a little into her grip. She didn't ask to see the bite mark, knowing he had already taken care of it or would refuse to let her take care of it.

"You're a bit of an idiot, love, but I cannot say that I blame you for it," she said, draping her arms around his shoulders and resting her chin on his collar bone. "Protecting our children, even from each other, is second nature. You didn't hurt Fenrir, by the way, and he apologized for not communicating properly. If it's any consolation, I don't think he'll ask Sleipnir to act as prey to train his wolves to hunt."

She felt him stiffen against her. "_That_ is what they were doing?!" he almost snarled.

Her fingers returned to his shoulders, not to knead but to hold him in place. "Fenrir says he asked and that Sleipnir consented and I'm inclined to believe him based on what I saw when you…ah…recalled me from the Tower," she said, her breath stirring the hair that had come loose from its usual meticulous placement. "If it will ease your mind further, there are other spells that we can set up around the island and help to protect them from each other should any of the wolves try anything against Fenrir's orders-not that I think they will."

"You think well of anything that looks twice at you without spouting insults," he shot back without thinking the words through. He winced a little when her nails dug into his skin through cloth.

"Brain. Filter. _Engage_," she said, voice dangerously pleasant. "I trust Fenrir and that means, to an extent, that I trust his pack to obey him. If I didn't, I wouldn't have suggested that we bring Sleipnir _with_ them. There are a number of other options that we could have taken advantage of, but I thought it might be for the best that they be around each other, especially if we are to continue working with them. Cohabitating _now_ will help them to adjust later or am I wrong? Isolation isn't the best option for them, especially since that is what they were more or less trapped in before we got them back. Do you agree or don't you?"

The glare he turned his head to shoot at her was only halfhearted at best. "I do…agree," he admitted. After a moment of maintaining his glare, his features softened and he relaxed into her grip. Another moment and her hands slid from his shoulders to smooth down his shirt. "I hate it when you're right."

"No, you hate it when I talk sense into you," she corrected mildly. After contemplating what she had to say, she added, "Maybe it's for the best that we set up a few spells to allow for communication between the four of us. It would help for if we run into another situation like this."

"Do you remember the spell that Odin used to create the link between you and Fenrir?" he asked and she had to grimace.

What she remembered of the day wasn't the spell that Odin had cast, it was the feel of hands restraining her and the screams of agony as her boy was forced from one form to another. Sights, scents, sounds, and feeling after that had been fragmented. "No," she said. "And I don't suppose you'd know one that would allow for something similar, if by less intrusive means?"

He glanced thoughtfully at her before saying, "There is a variant spell by which one can temporarily read another's mind. If we anchored it, that might allow for a two way understanding."

"Or blow up entirely and link us all together all the time," she pointed out. "Which-much as I love you-would _not_ be ideal. Why don't we try temporary spells first and work our way up from there?"

"Fair enough," he admitted.

This time, their silence was a comfortable one, until Sigyn blinked and remembered what Jarvis had said. Her arms tightened around Loki as she shivered. "Speaking of spells, how certain are you that your spell took Odin to the prison and not someone else? Is there a way to obtain a visual without upsetting your wards?"

"I am…not entirely certain," he said. "And, yes, there is a way to obtain a visual, but…" his voice trailed off as he lifted his hands and shaped a small square of fire in the air. "There is a small chance that he will be able to see us if I use this spell."

There was a question there that he posed to her, a risk he was asking if she was willing to take. When she said nothing against it, he activated the scrying spell and felt a flicker of relief when the familiar image of the barren dirt and rippling shields of power. Only…the dirt was not quite so barren anymore. There were small buds of green and hints that it had rained recently. Shifting the view a little, he saw the familiar golden armor and grizzled mane of white hair he had known through his childhood and beyond. Loki was transfixed studying the image of his foster father until Odin turned and looked up.

Sigyn clapped her hands around the image just as Odin's lips began to form words-_Hello, son_ among them-and let the magic fizzle out around her hands. The square vanished and her arms went back around Loki, who was utterly still with shock.

"Stop it," she whispered to him. "Stop questioning right and wrong. What is done is done and we've three packs of wolves and Sleipnir to deal with. Then we need to rest and prepare for hunting Amora. We've plenty to do and little enough time to do it in. We can start with tracking Sleipnir down and making sure that he took no harm from the packs' practice and then we'll need to assure Fenrir that we're not going to leave him here. And before we even consider leaving again, we should look at setting a spell that will allow specific individuals to come and go as necessary. I've an idea about where it should lead to, but…"

Her voice washed over him and he let his mind pick up the thread of her words while adding details of his own to it. Right or wrong, she was correct in telling him there was much to do without worrying over what had happened.

* * *

_A/N: I didn't realize how abrupt the ending to the previous chapter was until it was pointed out to me so ANOTHER UPDATE and you can totally thank Maia2 for it. :) _


	30. Chapter 30

A/N: I looked at the date a few days ago and realized that I hadn't posted in...a month. Sorry! I'd cite three jobs, technically four, but I've had a bit of spare time here and there where I could have posted this. Anyways, enjoy!

* * *

With her arms still around his shoulders, Sigyn felt when he stiffened subtly without changing his body language. She kept chatting about the different things that they still had to do while steering her words subtly away from topics that would give an observer any knowledge about their actual plans. In an almost lazy gesture, she drew one hand to his shoulder and flicked at a stray strand of his hair in a move that left him free to cast without interference and gave her the leverage she would need if an attack were launched against them.

Tossing her hair over her shoulder, she risked a glance around and saw no tell-tale heat distortions that would have indicated an illusion. Letting a grin settle over her lips, she leaned into Loki until her hair obscured half her face and brushed her lips against his ear to whisper, "I don't recall casting guards against scrying. It has to be Amora. Heimdall wouldn't need a spell and no other sorcerers, Healers, or magic-users would dare to spy on us."

She saw only the flash of a feral smile cross his features before the spell wrapped around them and she blinked to find that a double sensation had enveloped her limbs. "Loki?" she asked carefully.

"It's a variation of my clones that I've been working out. If it works properly, then it should appear to her spell that we haven't changed positions," he said, rising and sliding away from a suddenly distorted outline of his body. She peered interestedly at the doppelganger beneath her fingers. It was solid and warm just as he had been, but there was a distinct lack of animation that his clones usually held. "Move back. This is the first time I've tested the spell against someone else."

Sigyn released the not-clone and rose to stand at his side, only then noticing that the world around them seemed slightly…shadowy…and had to grin ruefully at him. "An action loop illusion feeding into a cloaking spell," she observed. "Not quite a variation on your clones, love, but still very clever."

He looked ready to argue, but the look that she gave him quelled the words. Storing the argument for later, he cast about for the source of the scrying spell and latched into the source that was feeding into it to try and follow it back to the caster. Her fingers twined through his when his brow furrowed and his magic touched a block. Their magic blended together and pushed at the block, but still achieved nothing.

"Blood wards," she murmured. "Amora has branched out beyond enchanting since the last time I saw her." She was almost talking to herself at that point, but the words were as much for Loki as they were to help her sort through her thoughts. "Let's try…" she trailed off as their magic separated and attacked the block from two different directions. They burrowed at it, spread the magic thin, felt out the surface of the anchor, and Sigyn could only grunt in frustration and twine her power again with Loki's. It broke apart beneath their touch and vanished.

Loki muttered a soft curse before he released the spells and her hand. "What…was that?" she asked slowly. "Has Amora shifted her strengths?"

"No," Loki said absently, already reweaving the spell they had been tracking. "It seems like a basic scrying with added layers of protection." He glanced sidelong at her and she felt something curl in her stomach. "I wasn't aware that you had received training in identifying blood wards."

She tried to smile and failed before she sighed and ran a hand through her hair. Glancing away, she chuckled mirthlessly. "Just before I…vanished, I was taking lessons from Malekith as a precaution against others using such spells against us. At the time, you were engrossed in your latest project and it didn't seem horribly important."

There was a pause before he said, "Blood spells are borderline-"

"-evil incarnate," she intoned in a voice that made his lips twitch in amusement. "Not only that, but they are very powerful weapons in the wrong hands. I _had_ to understand the differences in how such spells were different from our innate magic to protect against them."

The wind riffled through their hair as silence lapsed between them and he completed the recreation of the spell. Satisfied he could hold it, he studied his wife for a long moment. Steady and more loyal that Thor, compassionate and fierce, he had never thought she would consort with any of the darker forms of magic. That she had…wasn't unsurprising when he considered how far into a corner Odin had shoved over the last thousand odd years.

Unapologetic, she met his gaze and raised her eyebrows like she was daring him to challenge her on the knowledge she had taken for herself. He was, after all, hardly innocent of dabbling in his own share of the darker forms of magic.

"It wasn't quite a basic scrying spell," he said, spreading the components before her.

The way that the spell wound around itself had her frowning and running a finger along one of the translucent edges. At her touch, one component detached itself and slithered along her hand, its tendrils seeking the warmth of flesh and bone bodies. Biting back a yelp of panic, she sprang back and shook her hand free of the creeping spell that had been embedded within it.

"A double layer compulsion?" she asked, startled. "For _what?_"

Her gaze flicked from his hands to his to his eyes and she realized too late _who_ it had been meant for. The only thing she could do was seize the collar of his shirt and release a burst of magic that _felt_ similar to when he teleported them elsewhere. All she knew was that a compulsion-_any_ compulsion-from Amora was not one she would risk her children or lose her husband to.

Pain ripped through her body as the spell splintered halfway through with no direction to take them. The last thing thought to pass through her mind before she succumbed to the darkness was that of the Tower and the superhumans that occupied its space. They weren't all there and there was no guarantee that it would work, but they were the only chance she had.

E

Heimdall had been watching Thor's human allies for the better part of time that the fallen prince and his wife had been missing. When Sigyn contacted the human inventor, to say he was unsurprised would have been an understatement. The shifting energies in one of the other females in the Tower had drawn his attention time and again, but it hadn't been until Sigyn took an interest in her health that he had pieced together how _wrong _the human had looked to him.

It was during one of the periods that he was observing the fluctuations run through the human female that Loki and Sigyn returned to the Tower. His gaze switched instantly from the female to the pair. The last he had known, Loki hadn't been one to pay casual visits to those that considered him an enemy. The way in which the pair topped over after the spell released and the tense set of Loki's shoulders had him sending a messenger running for Thor of Sif, whoever was closest.

E

Colors and sounds distorted themselves and flowed together, the gentle tug and push to _teleport_ away insistent and conflicting with everything he knew and understood. Memories skittered away from his reach when he looked for them, fractured when he grasped them. The physical pressure on his shoulders and the discomfort of sudden departure became his grounding stone for a moment and in that second his head cleared he glimpsed Sigyn's features contorted in pain before they impacted and collapsed together.

_Stay _and _protect _warred with _teleport_ and _lavender_ and _enemy. _He could only gasp and hold tight to his magic, willing the spell to clear from his mind so that he could _understand_ what his situation was. _Sigyn_ became _Amora_, but _love_ refused to become _hate._

_Steady _and _hold fast_ echoed through his mind, but the touch that became physical pressure was lashed out at and the muffled scream it elicited sent more panic than pleasure through him. _False_ finally registered with the pleasure and the panic gripped him tighter than the compulsion. Another scent, newer, but far more potent and familiar, invaded his senses and he let the darkness overwhelm him even as the panic followed him down into its reaches.

* * *

She lay on her back, one hand wrapped pressed tightly to her side to try and stem the bleeding, gasping and shuddering with the pain even as she held fast to Loki's shoulder with her free hand and continued to murmur, "Hold fast, steady, stay with me, don't leave." Even after the darkness had receded and she woke to Loki's wild gaze and his arms framing either side of her body, she wasn't sure of where they were, what the compulsion was, or even if they were safe. All she was aware and certain of was the cool warmth of his skin pressed against hers, the sound of his labored breathing, and the sparking of magic as she pushed against the spell that was wrapping itself around him.

The spell pushed back at her, reached for _warmth_ and _love_ and _flesh_, but she broke the magical connection between them before it ensnared her. Noise started up around them, but her entire focus was centered on Loki and keeping him focused on her. She _did_, however, notice the change in the air quality. Peripherally, she was almost aware that someone was calling her name, but she ignored it up until her vision began to fade and Loki's arms gave out, slamming his greater weight into her body just before she succumbed to the darkness as well.

* * *

_Alert. Ninth floor unauthorized access detected. _

Scans of the area revealed no forced entry and two distinctly different bodies. Warm-blooded, human in form, magical in signature. It narrowed his list of known individuals to three-only two of whom he had met and only one of whom he actually liked.

Running an analysis of their vitals and analyzing the swirl of magic he could detect rolling off of them brought him nothing. Trying to gain Ms. Sigyn's attention had also done nothing. Whatever had happened, it was causing a serious fluctuation in the output of their magic, forcing it to mingle and twine around what he _thought_ was the casting signature of the Enchantress Amora, but the analysis returned inconclusive. Sorting and storing the information on Loki's magic for later, Jarvis appraised Dr. Banner of the situation while he directed certain functions to quarantining Ms. Potts and prepping two of the suits in case the situation became an emergency.

Discreetly, he enabled one of the first lines of defense. Watching their response to the industrial strength knock out gas, he noted that Sigyn took longer to pass out and that she might have sustained some bruised ribs when her husband succumbed first. When the Hawk made it to the door before Dr. Banner, Jarvis automatically locked the archer out of the access codes and refused him entry even when the archer asked him to _open the damn doors._

There was a forty-five percent that the Hawk would give into the temptation of shooting an unconscious Loki, but resist shooting Sigyn and-understanding her as he did-there was a one-hundred percent chance she would retaliate against the archer for even _attempting_ to attack one she cared for.

Upon the Hawk's third line of muttered explicitives for being refused entry, Jarvis said, "I must request that your presence be removed from this floor, Agent Barton. It is for your safety as much as those who are injured."

Has he been human, Jarvis would have smiled a little at the incredulous look that the Hawk shot at the ceiling. "Hell no! An injured Loki is worse than an unconscious Loki. I am _not_ leaving my teammates to deal with this mess."

The estimation he would give into temptation was reduced to forty-percent. Progress had been made in his attitude towards the would-be tyrant, but not enough that Jarvis was willing to risk setting two sorcerers on a war path. Sir being caught in the crossfire of one angry lunatic in the last few weeks had already filled Jarvis' tolerance for the danger that his creator attracted.

"I am afraid that I shall have to decline your offer of help. If you truly wish to assist them, then you shall need to wait for Dr. Banner or sir to arrive. Only then will I allow you access," Jarvis said. "At present, I will not allow you to handle this situation on your own."

* * *

Footsteps sounded heavily thorough the hall as Dr. Banner chose that moment to arrive with Sir hot on his heels. "Prognosis, J?" his creator asked as he punched in an access code and entered the medical wing of the Tower.

"Uncertain. I have sedated them and cleared the room of any lingering sleep gas. You are clear to enter," he informed them. "Upon their arrival, the sorcerer Loki was displaying signs of disorientation, breathing heavily…"

* * *

In a remote corner of the country, Amora had secluded herself comfortably into a hotel suite where she had slowly acquired her collection of vials filled with different colors of smoke. Of late her current project had taken precious time and attention from the careful chaos she had been sowing. Two targets she had dearly wanted to acquire were slipping through her fingers as she looked upon the spells she had linked to them.

The first attempt to ensnare Stark had failed spectacularly despite the subtleness of infiltrating the factory and layering spells across all sheets of metal scheduled to be shipped to the faux company he used to order special materials. Every attempt since, no matter her approach, either never reached him or it was obliterated upon arrival. _That_ she could blame on Sigyn's interference as the little Asgardian had never been one to share her toys, no matter how _mortal_. Now was no different, but she was beginning to suspect that there was an outside influence that was helping Sigyn to interferre.

Then, there was Loki. Her lips curled as she considered the way in which that particular spell was unraveling. She could _feel_ the way that his magic was twisting its way through Sigyn's seeking something solid in which to base his grip on reality, never quite realizing that it was the very portal through which his understanding of his life was rewriting itself. Slipping through her fingers was the way she had designed it and it was working beautifully.

* * *

A/N: Thank you to my reviewers Corinn, wbss21, and Maia2. For those of you that asked, I've a new story up showing Sigyn's time with Amora. It's not long so far and I likely won't update for another month on it, but its a start.

To answer your question, Corinn, I did figure it out about chapter 24, but I was too far in at that point. This is, after all, a story in which the movie universe meets mythology and shows a slightly more realistic thread to everything. Thank you, though :)


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